The Lion and Serpent
by TheBigEmeraldPeacock
Summary: Voldemort has delayed his Potter assasination after the incident at the ministry. Umbridge's 'Wizarding Preservation Act' is forcing young purebloods to marry one another. And due to a mishap Draco finds himself betroved to not only a boy, but a Weasley.
1. Chapter 1

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Synopsis-**

Set several months after the end of 'The Order of the Phoenix' (Book 5)

Voldemort has delayed his plans to kill Harry Potter after the incident at the ministry. Umbridge's 'Wizarding Preservation Act' is forcing young purebloods to marry one another. And due to a mishap Draco finds himself betroved to not only a boy, but a Weasley.

Will they be able to stand each other and what will happen when they return to school

**Chapter 1 – Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501**

_To- Mr L Malfoy, Mrs N Malfoy_

_From- The Department of Wizarding Culture_

_Subject- Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501_

_As you may have read in the Daily Prophet as of May 15__th__ all those who have, or will soon, come of age; and are members of families with at least 5 generations of Pureblood classification to their family name; must enter into a marriage with another Pureblood wizard or witch within a month of turning 17 and register their engagement with our office._

_As your son came of age 3 months before this act was passed he has already missed the 1 month deadline for choosing a partner with the correct pureblood credentials. The procedure which is followed in this case is for the office to assign a marital partner who has also missed the deadline to the Pureblood in question. _

_Unfortunately due to your son's file being misplaced in the office, his case has only recently been processed by which time only a few applicants remained non of whom were female (your son's registered orientation being heterosexual you see the dilemma)._

_However as these marital proceedings are mandatory there was little choice in the matter. We therefore made sure that your son's assigned *Husband* was at least similar in age._

_The marital partner chosen for your child is – Ronald B Weasley – You have 6 months from the day this letter arrives in order to perform the marriage ceremony. If the ceremony is not completed in this time yourselves and your son will be summoned to court and if found guilty of disobeying the Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501 you will be imprisoned in Azkaban for a minimum of 10 years._

_Congratulations_

_D Umbridge – Cultural Minister _

Narcissa Malfoy finished the letter just as the sun had fully risen. The only tell of the fury which now filled her was a slight twitch in the corner of her eye and the fact that her manicured nails had ripped through the letter as she gripped it in her hands.

'The Ministry telling a Malfoy what to do! My son, be assigned a marriage partner! My son, a Malfoy, being forced by the Ministry into marrying a Weasley!'

A house elf apperated next to the bench where she was seated in the palm house, holding a heavily laid tray with her breakfast.

"Tilly has mistresses breakfast" the elf squeaked.

The elf noticed the twitching in her mistress's eye and the way she stared off into the distance as if not really seeing.

After working for Lady Malfoy ever since she moved to the manor, Tilly knew that mistress was either very angry or having a stroke.

"Is something upsetting mistress?" the elf asked tentatively.

At the elf's words, the last bit of self control holding the Malfoy mask in place broke. In one fluid motion, she stood and kicked the breakfast tray out of the elf's hands. The tray flew a good 5 metres into the air, scattering toast, jam, and several pieces of expensive china as it went skywards; eventually coming to fall with a resounding splash in a fountain of Narcissus from Greek mythology.

'Someone's head is going to roll for this' she thought a vengeful sneer marring her flawless features.

"Tilly clear this up, I'm going to the Ministry" she said as she marched through the French doors, back into the manor.

**Molly's POV**

Molly Weasley held an identical letter to the one delivered to Malfoy manor in her hand as she sat in the empty kitchen in the Burrow. Her mind was working overtime simply trying to grasp what this letter meant.

'My youngest son is bound by law to marry Draco Malfoy, son of a deatheater, and generally the polar opposite to everything this family stands for'.

She exhaled a long breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and gathered her thoughts. 'Alright, this might be a deatheater trick to get someone close to Harry and torture them for information' she held her emotions in check, this was not the time to burst into tears, Ron wasn't dead yet.

'On the other hand this could be entirely coincidental and we simply have to find a way to either get Ron out of this or at the very least change who he has to marry'.

She drummed her fingers nervously on the long wooden table in the centre of the kitchen as she mulled over what to do.

'No one else knows at this point and it would be foolish to worry them before I have at least tried to fix the situation myself; I mean Arthurs busy with work and the order and Ron will throw a fit when he finds out'.

The clock on the wall behind her chimed 6. Molly had been an early riser ever since Arthur had started working at the Ministry and now with more children than sensible she like having time to herself between her husband leaving and before the rest of the family awoke.

She carefully folded the letter and slipped it into her dressing gown pocket, she needed to get to the Ministry as soon as possible; all she needed was a suitable excuse as to why her family had to dress and feed themselves.

Grabbing a piece of parchment from a nearby draw she began to scribble.

_Dear family _

_I have gone to Diagon Alley to buy industrial grade spider acid, as I think I have identified the cause of the smell in Fred and George's old room and its not going to leave without a fight._

_I should be back by Lunchtime at the latest, so don't let Ron cook (we don't need another chemical fire) and just generally behave._

_Mother_

Satisfied that she had spun a convincing ruse to stop her children becoming suspicious, she transfigured her dressing gown into a suitable set of robes, accio'd her hand bag, and headed out of the door to apperate to the Ministry.

**Narcissa's POV**

Narcissa had been storming towards her and Lucius's wing of the manor for the past 10 minutes, the manor was so big that she was only now passing the half way mark. As she walked her immediate anger began to fade and her mind wondered to when she had first gotten married.

She had been the young, very young, too young in fact. At 16 she may not have been able to use magic outside of school, but her parents were certainly able to sell her off to richest and oldest family that had an eligible heir.

She remembered the first time she had walked into Malfoy Manor; it was nothing like the castle where she had grown up; it wasn't ancient or damp; it was absurd in both grandeur and scale.

She could almost hear her name being announced as she descended the stairs into a crowded ballroom; 'Miss Narcissa Black'; she chuckled as she recalled the number of eyes which immediately locked onto her, mostly men, and mostly very married.

She pulled herself out of her nostalgic day dreaming and focused on the issue at hand. Her main concern was that this was punishment from the dark lord for Lucius's failure at the Department of Mysteries several months ago. However the dark lord had simply said at the time that Lucius was a disgrace to his cause; that he was obviously not fit to be a deatheater anymore; and that the only reason he was not going to kill him was that decreasing the number of Purebloods was counter productive.

Hence Lucius had been carted off to Azkaban for trespass and assault, and his dark mark had (very painfully) vanished. He was no longer a deatheater and now his only duty was being a financial supporter of the dark lord; albeit an imprisoned one.

All in all the past months had been quite an improvement; she of course missed Lucius; but it was comforting to know she wouldn't wake up to find he had been killed by an auror and the house was no longer Voldemort HQ.

She knew exactly where her husband was 24/7, her furniture was no longer at risk from werewolf scratch marks, and she was quite enjoying it.

'Bella would have told me if this was some scheme by the dark lord.' She remembered several weeks before the Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501 had been passed Bella had told her that the Umbridge woman had been made cultural minister and had been ordered; by a very imperioused Thickness; to create a new law forcing young purebloods to only marry those of equal blood status.

At the time she had asked her sister if Draco would be affected by this and Bella had assured her it was only for those who were too close to that muggle-loving Dumbledore's side.

Narcissa sighed; one of the things which made Bella so dangerous was that not only was she cruel, she was also very stupid, which is a potent combination in any situation.

It didn't help she was completely moonstruck. Of course it was entirely her husband's fault; Rudolphus was living proof that evolution can also reverse.

It seemed that this letter was simply the Ministry interfering where they had no right to; and the quickest solution to that was to go directly to the source of the problem and lay down the law …. and maybe a large sack of galleons.

**Draco's POV**

Draco was awoken just after dawn by a crash, a splash, and several slamming doors. The only person it could be was his mother as the dark lord and the scum who followed him had all left when his farther had been arrested.

Of course that didn't stop them from holding meetings here after dark, but those were only for the top ranking deatheaters who would at least respect their slightly unwilling hospitality.

No in the past year Draco had come to realise how meaningless this conflict was; it was about preserving proper wizarding society and yet the same people acted like animals, torturing and killing those who disagreed with them.

It had become glaringly obvious after Voldemort and his death eaters had moved in; that his farther was not any good at being the head of the Malfoy family. As leader you should always put the family first; and try to stay neutral in a conflict so there is always an exit strategy.

His farther had chosen the loosing team twice, invested a lot of money in them, and allowed them to have free access to his property. As a result he was in prison, the house had been ransacked, and they now had a house elf graveyard in the garden for all the servants who cooked themselves on the deatheaters orders.

'However, Farther is no longer a deatheater, the house has been repaired, and he is now serving a nice long sentence in Azkaban which should teach him not to be a self serving egotist.' Draco smiled into his pillow, things were generally looking up. 'Still, what could have Mother riled up this early in the morning?'

He cracked open one eyelid and looked around. The sumptuous bedroom he slept in was still dark; however a crack of sunlight shone on the Malachite mantle piece through a gap in the green satin curtains.

"SOTY!" he yelled, the shout somewhat muffled by the pillow his face was still buried in.

The elf apperated instantly at the side of the bed "Is there something master is needing?" it squeaked.

"Open the curtains and bring me breakfast" he mumbled.

"Yes master Draco sir, right away sir" the elf smiled stupidly then disapperated.

Draco sat up as the curtains slowly parted; filling the cavernous room with morning sunlight. He blinked several times against the bright light, deciding that the floor to ceiling mirrors on the opposite wall were more of a nuisance than a necessity as they reflected most of the sunrise directly in his face.

He slowly crawled towards the edge of the gigantic bed, swung his legs over the side, and walked over to the nearest mirror.

He critically observed his reflection in the looking glass, turning this way and that, admiring himself from different angles.

He was not vain; it was simply that his mother had always taught him that being beautiful made life a lot easier; and so it was not really a selfish pursuit, but more of a duty to be attractive.

He was what the Malfoy family would become, and when people saw him he wanted them to know that and be filled with admiration.

Alright he was a little bit vain, but in his opinion, entirely deserved.

Still the last year had been hard, and he had lost some weight due to stress and missing meals. Deatheaters had no table manners and there dinner conversation was inappropriate to say the least.

Still he was not skeletal and if anything it had simply defined his slim quidditch physic.

He smirked, satisfied with his appearance and headed towards the walk-in wardrobe, slipping off the briefs he had been sleeping in.

**Narcissa's POV**

After arriving at her bedroom Narcissa walked straight through the spacious salon and into the wardrobe.

Standing in the centre of the room she spun on the spot, scanning the hundreds of garments for something suitably intimidating.

Her gaze eventually fell on a Basilisk skin Blazer with a floor length black satin skirt; the outfit was dark but it would make a nice contrast with her marble skin and light blond hair.

She quickly changed, admiring the way the skirt clung to the lines of her legs, and showing just the right amount of bare skin.

Satisfied with her choice, she turned and strode out of the wardrobe and over to her writing desk.

She would of course have to write to Lucius to inform him of the events, he may still be in prison but he has some connections left at the ministry.

Quickly making a duplicate of the letter from the ministry and drafting a note of what she planned to do; she enclosed both in an envelope and gave it to an elf to be sent.

She then picked up her handbag and headed to the entrance hall.

**Draco's POV**

Having eventually chosen to just wear some grey slacks and a T-shirt; Draco decided it was time to find out what was bothering his mother this early in the morning.

Putting his fork back down on the breakfast tray Soty had brought him; he finished the last of the black coffee and headed down towards the sitting room his mother usually read in.

As he was crossing the entrance hall he heard the tell tale clicking of high heels, and turning, his mother appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Good morning mother" he said his eyes travelling over her unusual choice of clothes.

'She only wears things like that when she knows she is going to be picking a fight with someone'.

She had faltered at the sight of him but had immediately recovered and smiling sweetly answered, "Good morning darling, you're up early".

"Indeed I am" he said smirking "I was woken by the most unusual noise, it sounded like someone kicking something into a fountain".

'Lets see her get out of this one' he thought amused by his own cunning.

"Really ?" she said in mock curiosity, "What do those house elves get up to when our backs are turned I wonder" she drawled, wearing an identical smirk to her sons.

Changing tack he asked "Where are you going?"

His mother shifted uncomfortably "I'm going to Madam Malkins; the woman completed eviscerated that gown I sent her to be re-hemmed; I figured I should convey my displeasure in person so it won't happen again."

Draco sighed. That was his mothers life after all, clothes and dinner parties. He almost felt disappointed that it wasn't something of more consequence; the summers were always boring.

His mother smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and walked over to the fire place.

As she floo'ed away Draco thought he heard her say Ministry of Magic.

'Im up too early' he thought, heading back to his bed chamber to shower.


	2. Chapter2 Department of Wizarding Culture

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Chapter 2 – The Department of Wizarding Culture**

Molly's POV

Having apperated to the ministry atrium; Molly made her way through the throngs of witches and wizards towards the elevators. On all walls hung large banners warning of use of the imperious curse, and advising anyone who thought someone was acting suspicious to come forward.

She sighed as she read the nearest banner.

'It's a little too late and not really any help in the first place'.

Anyone close to the order knew that the ministry was under almost complete control by -he who should not be named-.

However he had not yet chosen to come out of the shadows, as it seemed easier to maintain normality for the wizarding public than impose forced rule.

She walked into a crowded elevator, surrounded by flying memos and several unhappy looking goblins. The elevator ascended, stopping on almost every floor. Some people got in, but mostly the number of people decreased as she went higher. It was the start of the day after all and most people were only just arriving at their desks.

By the time they reached the Department of Wizarding Culture; which was only a floor below the Ministers offices; she was the only person left in the elevator.

The reception area was a large wooden panelled room with magical floor to ceiling windows which showed a field of tulips.

At the far end of the room was a single desk with a rather stern looking woman sat doing paperwork.

Molly approached; weaving her way through numerous pink armchairs scattered around the room.

"Excuse me" she said, plastering on a warm smile.

The stern woman looked up; her eyes narrowing.

"Good Morning, welcome to the Department of Wizarding Culture, How may I help you?" she said in a rather dry rasp.

"Yes, I received a letter this morning regarding the Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501" Molly said, pulling out the letter; "I was wondering if I could have a meeting with someone as I think there is a problem".

The woman behind the desk sighed "You'll be wanting to see Dolores Umbridge, shes the one who had the law originally passed and deals with any issues people have".

The woman reached down and brought up a leather bound volume from under the desk.

"Unfortunately the first appointment I can give you is at 1pm; she's booked solid until then".

Molly turned and looked around all the empty chairs; "Are you completely sure that's the earliest I can see her, I mean it doesn't look busy", she smiled sweetly at the woman, "I really was hoping to get this sorted as quickly as possible".

"No" the woman deadpanned, slamming the book shut, "I will see you at 1pm Mrs?"

"Weasley, Molly Weasley" Molly replied, a little taken aback by the woman's irritation.

The receptionist went back to her paper work and Molly took a seat facing the desk near one of the windows.

She sighed looking at the clock hanging above one of the doors on the far wall, 'Its only just past 7 now, perhaps I should go home and just come back later' she pondered, her eyes now fixed on the field of tulips outside the window, 'No I can't go home, the children would probably want to go with me to Diagon Alley once they were awake'.

Molly slumped in the chair, she had no choice but to wait, hopefully someone would cancel their appointment and she could go in earlier.

As she sat in the chair she allowed her mind to drift, 'Dolores Umbridge? Now why does that name sound familiar?' She racked her brain for a moment before it came to her, 'Of course she was the defence against the dark arts teacher Fudge forced into Hogwarts last year'.

She remember how often her children's letters from school were filled with complaints about how evil the woman was; at the time she thought they were just being dramatic; but after the events proceeding the department of mysteries break in she realised just how true it all was.

And now this. Ron was engaged to a Malfoy, and a male one at that. She didn't think Ron even liked boys in that way.

'Of course he's never had a girlfriend, there is Hermione but they always seemed to be just friends'.

In all honesty she had never given the issue serious thought, although considering how oblivious Ron was sometimes, even he might not be aware of his own preferences.

She shook her head, trying to clear it, 'This isn't the issue I should be focusing on'.

She reached into her bag and pulled out some knitting; she had a lot of time to kill.

Narcissa's POV

Narcissa stepped out of the floo and exhaled the breath she had been holding. She hated lying to Draco.

Lucius had already put them both through so much in the past year and she didn't want her son thinking he couldn't depend on her.

'Still, if all goes as planned he shouldn't need to ever know'.

She turned and walked along the rows of fireplaces; meandering through the crowd; towards the main atrium.

She recognized a few faces as she walked, but didn't stop to talk, instead heading straight for the elevator. The metal doors opened as she reached them and she strode inside, waving her wand so the doors slammed shut before anyone else could enter.

"Department of Wizarding Culture"

The elevator immediately complied rising almost to the top story.

'Right underneath the ministers office? Whoever this woman is, she has influence. That or she's a complete brown nose'.

She smirked, amused at her own whit and strode out of the elevator.

Striding through the waiting area, sending any furniture in her way magically spinning across the room, she confidently approached the reception desk.

The singularly unattractive woman manning the desk didn't even look up when she stood before her; but instead simply asked "Name?"

Narcissa was taken aback by this womans total lack of emotion, be it fear or otherwise.

"My name is unimportant" she said, her voice dripping with contempt, "I'm hear to see this Umbridge woman; she sent me the most idiotic letter this morning", she pulled the letter from her clutch bag and slammed it on the desk.

The receptionist finally looked up, surveying Narcissa like she was a toddler mid tantrum. She sighed and picked up the letter; she was silent for several seconds as her eyes moved slowly down the page; eventually she placed the paper back down on the desk and pushed it towards Narcissa.

"I will tell you exactly the same thing I told your soon to be in-law" she said, motioning over Narcissa's shoulder, "If you want to see Umbridge you have to make an appointment, and she's busy!" the last bit coming out as half rasp half shout.

Narcissa snatched up the letter; gave the receptionist one last incensed stare; and turned to see who the woman had been talking about.

Her eyes fell on the Weasley woman sitting in a pink armchair facing her; her hands full of knitting; and her face registering mild shock.

Lucius's POV

Lucius sat in his minimum security cell in Azkaban; staring towards the light streaming in through the slit window.

The cell was small, cold, and damp; but the dementors only passed his cell occasionally and didn't stand on guard permanently.

The only piece of furniture in the room was the bed; which he sat on and was little more than a hay bale.

He missed his own bed; he missed the Egyptian cotton sheets; he even missed the way Narcissa would write notes on his face while he was asleep saying 'Shave, you look like a homeless person.' or 'Cut your hair before people start calling you Lucy'.

He smiled as he remembered his wife, she could be vicious but it was her way of showing affection.

His thoughts were interrupted as a wizard guard banged on the bars of his cell.

"Letter" the guard said, flicking the envelope at Lucius.

Lucius waited until the guard had walked out of sight before picking up the letter from where it lay on the stone floor.

He recognised his wife's handwriting on the envelope. Narcissa had only visited him once since he had entered Azkaban; and that was only to tell him that she wouldn't be writing or visiting as he had put their family through hell and he needed all the time he could get to reflect on what a moron he had been.

At first he had been indignant at her accusations; however after reviewing the events of the past year and the first war he realised that as head of the family he was an utter failure.

'It really must be bad news if she's chosen to break her vow of silence'. He mused, opening the envelope.

For about 10 minutes he read and reread both letters; eventually however he couldn't absorb anything else from either and so leaned back against the wall and analysed the situation.

Narcissa was of course right to worry that this might be part of some plan set up by the dark lord; the law which got them in to this mess was originally his idea as part of his preplanning for what wizarding culture should be like after he had complete control.

Of course he had been banished from the death eaters, 'the dark lord only values me for my money and blood status' he thought bitterly; this of course meant that he had no idea of any more recent plans to defeat Dumbledore and the boy Potter.

However even if this marriage was a coincidence, it didn't mean Draco was out of danger, once the dark lord found out he might try to use it to his advantage.

A light bulb lit up in his head; had this situation occurred several months ago he would have readily proposed they use Draco and this Ron Weasley to get Potter; of course it was common knowledge the red head was Potter's sidekick along with that bushy haired girl who read too much.

However now that he had been so readily cast aside by those he thought his allies.

'Or at least they feared me too much to go against me'; he and his family had been left as outcasts to both worlds. Dumbledore's crew thought him a death eater and the death eaters thought him pathetic.

This situation therefore changed everything, it was a chance to cement the Malfoy family back into a society, and considering he had turned over a new leaf to put family first, he could overlook how pro-muggle this society was.

Standing up triumphantly in his cell, filled with elation, he proclaimed "My son is going to marry the Weasley boy!"

There was relative silence for a few seconds before the inmates of the surrounding cell's burst into hysterical laughter.

'Laugh now' he thought 'but this is my ticket out of here'.

**Note from the Author-**

**Hey I wanted to thank the person who sent me the review, its my first fan-fic and so my first review, so I was really excited when I got it. **

**I rated the story M for later chapters because all the best stories have some steamy scenes here and there. I am of course terrified of writing these sections so if anyone has suggestions or wants to write a draft sex scene themselves, please contact.**

**I love getting reviews so don't hold back, any plot ideas or jokes etc you think would work, tell me.**

**Thanks, until next chapter (it involves smashing kitten plates).**


	3. Chapter3 The Umbridge Negotiation

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Chapter 2 – The Umbridge Negotiation**

Molly's POV

Molly had watched the exchange between Narcissa Malfoy and the receptionist feeling increasing amounts of alarm and dismay. It hadn't occurred to her that the Malfoy's would receive an identical letter and they would both be dispatched at the same time; although now she thought about it, it was obvious; its not like the Malfoy's would want this anymore than the Weasleys.

The receptionist finished their conversation and Narcissa turned to face her.

At first she almost looked traumatised at the sight of Molly sitting there; knitting in lap; staring back at her.

"Mrs Weasley" Narcissa said her eyes narrowing.

"Mrs Malfoy" Molly replied in an emotionless voice.

"I suppose you're also here to halt this abortion" Narcissa said; gesturing to the letter in her hand.

"In politer terms, yes" Molly replied, slightly irritated that anyone would think being related to Ron an 'abortion'.

Narcissa didn't miss the jibe about her manners, "Just the one Weasley then? I would of thought you'd all be up in arms, wasn't that the point of breeding a battalion sized family", she retorted, smirking.

"Good parents don't make their children fight for their beliefs" Molly replied accusingly, staring directly into Narcissa's eyes.

Narcissa physically wavered at her words and looked genuinely upset at her accusation. Molly sighed, she supposed she should treat others how she would like to be treated.

"No, it's just me, I thought it best to see if I could fix this before anyone else had to find out".

She smiled at Narcissa and gestured to the chair next to her, "Would you like to wait with me?"

Narcissa nodded and sat down; careful not to crush her skirt.

"How long have you been waiting?" she asked, looking around the room.

Molly looked at the clock, "About 45 minutes, but my appointment is at 12, she's apparently very busy".

Narcissa snorted "You could have fooled me. We're the only ones here, that is unless Umbridge takes lots of meetings with thestrals".

Narcissa looked over to the doors leading of the reception area; spotting the one with 'D Umbridge' printed in gold on the frosted glass.

"Has anyone entered or left that office since you arrived" Narcissa said gesturing to the door.

"No ones past through any of the doors; its completely dead here; then again I suppose it's a new department; they're probably not completely up and running yet" Molly replied.

Narcissa huffed, "Well I'm not giving the woman the satisfaction of not only forcing our sons into matrimony, but also making me wait hours while she does paperwork".

Standing up she turned to Molly, "Are you coming? It will probably be easier if she sees neither family wants this".

"Are you really going to just walk in there?" Molly asked, standing hesitantly, "I mean what about her?" she nodded her head towards the receptionist who seemed deeply engrossed in some mundane paperwork, and was not aware of the uprising of the only other people in the room.

"She can go suck a lemon" Narcissa replied, "Anyway what's she going to do? Hit us with her Zimmer frame?"

"I don't know" Molly said, twisting her hands with worry.

Narcissa took her uncertainty as an affirmative and strode off towards Umbridge's office; Molly quickly followed, trying to pretend she couldn't hear the receptions demanding they wait until their appointment.

Umbridge's POV

Dolores was having a good morning. The Department of Wizarding Culture wasn't big, but it had the power to pass new laws quickly, and she was in charge.

Her office was large and circular, and she had decorated it just the way she liked it. Pink, lace, and kittens, wonderful.

Out of all of the new acts passed since the department's creation she was most proud of the Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501; it assured the continuance of pureblood families, despite the rise in muggle pollution. It took the choice away from those who would make the wrong decision and put them back on the right path towards a brighter, purer future.

'Brighter, purer future, I should have that printed on the pamphlets' she mused, leaning back in her pink desk chair.

She sat in silence for a moment; admiring the decorative kitten plates hung around the office; however her contentment was soon broken by the sounds of raised voices in the reception area.

The door abruptly opened and a slim, platinum blonde woman strode in; her first impression was of alarm as the woman seemed to be wearing a jacket made from a barbed, poisonous green reptile skin. However she quickly gathered herself, preparing to demand why she had burst into her private office; but she was interrupted by the intruder.

"My Name is Narcissa Malfoy" the woman said, glaring down at her; "and this" she said, indicating rather unenthusiastically over her shoulder, "is Mrs Weasley".

Dolores leaned slightly in her chair, looking around Mrs Malfoy at Mrs Weasley, who was shutting her office door and looked very uncomfortable but determined.

"We are here", Mrs Malfoy continued; "to have this idiotic forced marriage between our son's dissolved", slamming a letter down on her desk.

Dolores was tempted simply to call security; however she was curious how this meeting would pan out; the Malfoy's had always been reliable financial supporters of the ministry, imprisoned or not; and it couldn't hurt to hear what they had to say.

'They're both purebloods after all', she mused.

She turned the letter around and began to read as Mrs Malfoy and Weasley took the two seats in front of her desks.

She recognised the letter immediately; it was one of the pair she had sent when she first came into work this morning.

She sighed, putting on an apologetic smile, "It was very unfortunate that your son's file was misplaced between leaving the Wizarding Records Department and arriving here. The files were dealt with by alphabetical order, so by the time the error had been brought to my attention; Mr Weasley's file was the only one remaining which was remotely compatible."

"There was really no one else? Some no name girl would be preferable to being tied to that" Mrs Malfoy waved her hand lazily towards Mrs Weasley.

"Well after observing your son last year, I thought being married to a man wouldn't create such an issue." She replied, straightening the folders on her desk.

"What? Pray tell me, did you observe", Mrs Malfoy asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Well on several occasions I had to give warnings to Draco. You see I had banned public displays of affection; quite rightly as Hogwarts is a place of learning. Catching your son in the middle of err heated assignations with his friend Blaise Zabini; I just assumed his file was out of date."

Narcissa's POV

This was not at all the day Narcissa had planned for herself when she woke up this morning. She had kicked her breakfast into a fountain after finding out her son was going to be forced to marry a man, and now the instigator of this matrimony had outed her son to his poor unsuspecting mother.

She realised she must have been silent a lot longer than was normal as both Umbridge and the Weasley woman were staring at her, concerned. She regrouped and decided to attack from a different angle.

"Be that as it may; why did you match him with the Weasley boy? He's never seemed complex enough to be anything but straight". Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mrs Weasley glaring at her.

Umbridge looked uncomfortable, "Well there were only two choices and your son", she motioned to Mrs Weasley, "Is the same age as Draco, they both play quidditch…" she trailed off lamely under the incredulous look Narcissa was throwing her.

"Putting aside your obvious stupidity for now", Narcissa drawled, "Who is the other candidate?"

Umbridge quickly shifted her files; locating the desired folder and opening it. "His name is Yaxley, 45 years old, he was only really included because he's never been married".

Narcissa almost wretched; Yaxley was a deatheater, and a very stupid and unappealing one at that.

This was getting desperate, he was even less appealing than Weasley. A brilliant idea suddenly struck her, "Could the Weasley boy marry him instead? Draco could have an extension until more candidates turn 17; even without this law, neither myself or his farther would allow him to marry outside of pureblood circles, so it's really not necessary."

The Weasley Woman looked appalled, however Umbridge seemed to be considering the offer.

She eventually adopted a stern expression, "No; as I said before Yaxley was only included because of his lack of marital status; this law was aimed at young witches and wizards; and my say goes. Your Son's must marry within 6 months, or you all will face Azkaban. Well more of it in your husbands case Mrs Malfoy. You may leave, I have work to do." Umbridge pointed to the door and then started reading through more folders.

Narcissa was stumped. It had been so long since anyone had flatly refused her anything that the whole situation seemed alien. She stared at the woman sitting across from her; the one who had just taken her son and married him to a complete stranger; the one that had just made fun of her because Lucius was in prison.

She was angry at the way she had been treated; but she was livid on behalf of her son.

She slowly stood; the tension in the room was like a standing on thin ice, any sudden movements and it would shatter. To her left Mrs Weasley stood; she looked frightened at the lack of any expression on Narcissa's face.

It was the oddest sensation, like her head was filled with white noise. There were no thoughts, just actions. She silently crossed the office and picked up a decorative plate from one of many small lace covered tables littering the room. For a moment she simply studied the mewling kitten in the centre of the ceramic; she then turned swiftly and threw it at Umbridge.

Molly's POV

Umbridge was lucky; the plate spun past her ear at lightning speed and smashed through the window, falling to the atrium below. By the time Umbridge had managed to work out what was going on, Narcissa had grabbed a second plate and flung it at her head.

Molly was in utter shock; standing frozen she watched as Mrs Malfoy grabbed plates, lamps, a signed picture of the minister, and a set of silver candle sticks; and hurled them all at Umbridge, who was now hiding behind her desk.

Eventually Umbridge remembered she had a wand and cast a translucent shield bubble around the desk, just as Narcissa discovered she could lift and throw the large carriage clock on the mantle piece. It hit the magical dome and disintegrated with an electrical crackle.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Umbridge screeched, from inside the shield charm, "I'VE CALLED SECURITY, THEY'LL BE HERE ANY SECOND".

Narcissa was panting; glaring daggers at Umbridge. She turned to Molly and gave her a slightly unhinged smirk, "Well you heard her, smash something before they get here".

Molly stood still, simply staring at Narcissa, unable to move.

"Now!" Narcissa exclaimed exasperatedly, as if destroying the office was the most logical action at this moment.

Molly shuffled over to the nearest table and nudged a teapot over the edge. It landed on the rug and didn't even smash.

Narcissa sighed, "You're really not into this are you?"

Molly shook her head; glad that Narcissa seemed to be calming down.

The thundering of footsteps could be heard outside and suddenly the door flew open.

"Expeliamus!" Both Molly's and Narcissa's wands zoomed out of their bags and across the room to be caught by the burly security guard standing in the doorway.

He pocketed them and quickly entered, followed by a second guard who walked over to Molly and held her upper arm in a firm grip; across the room the first guard restrained Narcissa in the same fashion.

Umbridge now deemed it safe enough to lower the shield charm. Her hair stuck out in all directions and she was covered in fragments of plate. She looked shell shocked more then anything.

She straightened her pink tweed skirt suit and then turned to the first guard and said, in a controlled voice "Please escort Mrs Malfoy and Mrs Weasley out of the Ministry, make sure that they leave."

She then turned away and started casting repairo spells at the broken objects around the room.

The guards walked them from the room towards the waiting elevator. In all honesty Molly was shocked they hadn't been arrested.

'We burst into her office, practically assaulted her and destroyed most of her decorations. Well I suppose I was only an accomplice, but still'.

She bit her nail replaying the events of the meeting before the abuse and destruction of property; it seemed they were stuck, there was no hope from the beginning that they could prevent this.

Narcissa seemed to be thinking the same thing because she suddenly said, "I don't think there is anyway around this".

She glanced back at the security guards, "You can let go of us now. What are you afraid of? Being hit with a handbag?" She looked down at Molly's carpet bag and her eyebrows raised, "I take that back, her hand bags' big enough to sit in. What on earth do you keep in there?" she asked.

Molly patted the bag fondly, "Oh you know, a bit of everything really".

Narcissa hummed distractedly, routing around in her clutch bag, "Well all this seems to hold is my check book, a handkerchief, and a 5cl Firewhiskey miniture. You don't have a pen and parchment, do you?" she looked at Molly expectantly while unscrewing the small bottle and downing the amber contents.

Before Molly could answer the elevator doors opened and they exited into the main atrium. The guards released them, handed back their wands and walked back into the Ministry.

"We need to talk", Molly said, gesturing over to the fountain in the centre of the atrium. Narcissa followed without complaint slapping the empty firewhiskey bottle into the hand of a passing intern; the crowds had mostly cleared now and the splashing from the jets of water would prevent anyone listening in. They both sat down on the flat stone edge of the outer pool.

"I think it best if I just come right out and ask", Molly said, looking determined, "Is this his doing?"

Narcissa's POV

Narcissa narrowed her eyes, she knew exactly what the Weasley woman was asking but she wasn't it was wise to even discuss such things with someone so close to Dumbledore.

She sighed 'I suppose we're actually more welcome on Dumbledore's side than the dark lord's'.

"No, at least I don't think so, he kicked Lucius out so we're not really in his confidence anymore", She whispered.

Molly initial look of relief turned quickly to surprise, "You mean he's no longer a member? I didn't think he let people just leave?"

Narcissa snorted "I don't think being beaten half to death by your own prison guards and having a tattoo ripped magically from under your skin, is exactly 'just leaving'".

Molly looked horrified and seemed to be on the verge of apologising for asking, however Narcissa cut her off, "You're right though, Lucius is lucky to be alive and hopefully he will learn not to put his family second behind power".

They both dropped into a thoughtful silence. Eventually Mrs Weasley spoke, "Is there anyway to find out if this is his doing?"

"Yes" Narcissa answered, "That's why I asked you for a pen and parchment earlier; I need to contact somebody who will know".

"Oh yes, of course" Molly said, quickly rummaging around in her ridiculous handbag. Eventually she pulled out a small box and magically enlarged it with her wand;

Narcissa recognised it as a writing box; she had once had one just like it. "Where did you get this?" she asked opening it and realising it was identical to hers.

"It was a birthday present from my younger brother Fabien", a sad look passed across Molly's face as she remembered her dead brother.

Narcissa looked down at the box in her lap; it had been so long ago but she had once received an identical present from the same boy. It had been when she turned 16 and her parents began selecting suitable candidates for her to marry; not that anyone would believe it but the Weasley woman's brother Fabien Prewett had been one of the selected.

The Prewett's weren't rich, but they were an old family and Fabien was in her year at Hogwarts. They had only met on a few occasions but she remembered he was quite shy and he had given her the writing box as a Christmas present. He had never really talked much and so she assumed he wasn't interested, however now that she thought about it he may just have been nervous, the writing box wasn't exactly a cheap present.

However he had missed his chance; Lucius had strolled into her life, dazzled her parents with his family's money and within a year they were married. A cut and dry Pureblood arrangement.

She ran her fingers across the intricate patterns embossed on the lid and smiled fondly; it was nice to remember the past once every so often; so much had happened since then.

She realised Molly was staring at her with a curious expression on her face; and quickly adopted the emotionless Malfoy façade.

She opened the box pulled out a self-inking quill and parchment. "Could you give me a minute alone while I write this?" she still didn't trust the Weasley woman's discretion not to go blabbing to Dumbledore who she was writing to.

Molly seemed to understand and reluctantly stood and began slowly walking around the fountain; gazing up at the golden figures.

Narcissa began to write; it had been obvious since she had first received the letter who the correct person to consult was. Bella may have been her elder sister; but she worshiped the dark lord too much and would only see it as an opportunity to please him, even if it meant putting Draco at risk. No, Severus was who she needed; he had always been an excellent god farther to her son and had his best interests at heart.

Of course Narcissa had never really been sure where his allegiances lay, however she supposed the Malfoy family were now in the same situation, standing on the line between two cultures. At any rate he could find out whether this was some plan; and if necessary downplay the Weasley boy's relationship with Potter so it didn't interest the dark lord.

She quickly outlined the events of the morning and her concerns about the dark lord; she then sealed the letter and wrote his home address on the reverse side. She flagged down a passing secretary and asked her if she could take the letter to the mail room. The secretary agreed and walked off into the Ministry just as Molly arrived back having circled the fountain.

Narcissa handed her the writing box, which she shrank and placed back in her handbag. There followed a prone silence, while Narcissa pulled on her gloves and Molly stared at her with a questioning look.

"I will write you when I know" she said, straightening her skirt, "Which I expect will be tomorrow morning".

'Severus always did work fast when it was important' she thought.

"Until then neither of us should tell anyone; I'm supposing you didn't tell your husband as he would have come with you to see Umbridge?"

Molly nodded, "The letter arrived after he left for work".

"If I were you I wouldn't worry him, until we know all the facts". She gave Molly one last appraising look and walked off towards the floo.

Ron's POV

Ron awoke to the sound of people eating breakfast. He slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up, however a hand rested on his shoulder keeping him flat.

"Careful Ronald, you'll upset the teapot", said Fred, his face appearing above Ron's.

"I suppose we should allow him to join us now he's decided to grace us with his presence" said George, somewhere off to his right.

Ron became aware that there were items resting on his chest and legs; there were some clinking noises as the objects closet to his head were removed; then finally Fred told him he could sit up. Ron lifted himself and looked around; on either side of his bed sat Fred and George and at the foot was Ginny.

"What are you doing here?" he asked rubbing his eyes.

"Well", George began, "Myself and my brilliant other half", he gestured to Fred, who pretended to blush, "Came here for breakfast and discovered a communication from dear mother, detailing her absence. We of course then took it upon ourselves to make our defenceless younger siblings some much needed nutritional items."

"Which", Fred continued, "We decided to serve to you in bed as you were still asleep".

At this point Ron looked down to discover that his duvet had been replaced with a chequered table cloth, and several plates, cups, and saucers were positioned all over his body.

"Breakfast is on you, so to speak", Fred said, smirking.

"You couldn't just wake me, like a normal person would" Ron said exasperated.

"You wound us Ronald, we were just trying to be nice by bringing you breakfast", Fred said, in mock distress.

"We were even thoughtful enough to cover your 'morning excitement' with the bacon platter", George said, gesturing to Ron's crotch, "Well actually that was more to save Ginny from mental scarring".

Ron blanched while Fred, George and Ginny howled with laughter.

Quickly changing the subject he asked, "Where is mum then?"

Ginny wiped her eyes, still grinning, "She said she had to go to Diagon Alley to get some cleaning stuff. She should be back soon, it's almost 11."

"She says she was only going for cleaning supplies, but I see through her ploy. I bet you good money that she's at our flat right now removing anything even remotely fun." said Fred.

"What you call fun, others call highly flammable", Ginny said rolling her eyes.

"Highly flammable?" George said, pretending to be offended, "Still speaking of things getting hotter; When did you fill out so nicely Ronald?" he gestured to Ron's bare chest.

"Of all the rotten luck; we finally move out; and the minute we're gone Ron finally becomes interesting" Fred said, stroking Ron's beet red cheek in a suggestive fashion.

"Bugger off" Ron mumbled, grabbing a slice of toast and stuffing it into his mouth.

"No need to worry Ron; I'm in a long term relationship with the most perfect being known to mankind, truly a work art. With all the grace and natural poise of an airborne swan; and the best part is he look's just like me" George said, wriggling his eyebrows at Fred, who transfigured his fork into a hand fan, and began wafting himself as if overcome with passion at his twin's words.

Ron could never tell whether they were actually joking about this or not; they could be very secretive when they wanted to be.

Before he could ask anything else however, the sound of someone entering the backdoor were heard through his open bedroom door.

"Mother!" the twin's screamed repeatedly in mock excitement, bolting down the stairs. Ginny stood, accioed the breakfast things onto a tray and left, leaving Ron to collapse back onto his pillows, groaning at the effort of entertaining the twin's for even 5 minutes.


	4. Chapter4 Tea and Tantrums

**Before I start this chapter I want to apologise for taking so long. I have actually got several more chapters finished already however I like to have some wiggle room in case I decide to change something. At the moment I'm doing my exams so I'm not getting any writing done at all, also the last time I tried I got major writers block.**

**If anyone else is a fan fic author do you find you think of really good stuff to write in patches, but then there is the massively annoying hassle of writing the bits in between? **

**Thanks to the people who have reviewed or added my story to their favourites etc.**

**I have just finished writing Rons reaction to the news, but Im not sure I like it.**

**Well until the next chapter, enjoy.**

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Chapter 4 – Tea and Tantrums**

Snape's POV

Severus apperated directly into the living room of Spinner's End, just before sunrise.

He had received the letter from Narcissa yesterday lunchtime and had sprung into action immediately. His first move was to meet with Dumbledore.

As vacant as Ronald Weasley was, being the son of two order members and the best friend of the unkillable Potter made him valuable from certain aspects, mainly hostage ones.

He had already informed the headmaster of Lucius Malfoy's removal from the death eaters; and had even suggested that the family might be a useful asset if offered the right temptation. Dumbledore had said he would think it over, however with the great possibility that the Weasley boy would soon be a Malfoy, there was little choice left in the matter.

Dumbledore had of course agreed with Narcissa's plan for Severus to discover whether this was a plan or mere coincidence.

Severus highly doubted it was Voldemort's doing; as a member of his inner circle, he would have been told of the plan as he had most contact with both the Weasley boy and Draco through teaching potions.

It also didn't match the dark lord's most recent behaviour. After the incident with the prophecy a few month's ago Voldemort had changed his battle plan; he resolved to stop pursuing Potter and focus on taking control of the wizarding world. He had said that when it was time to kill Potter, the boy would come to him.

Being bested by an underage boy 5 times did not make anyone look good, no matter how 'special' the boy apparently was. It was something of a relief not to have to worry so much about the safety of someone who looked so much like that prick James Potter.

He had gone from Hogwarts to death eater HQ, which was presently at one of Lestrange's hovels.

He was told Voldermort was out of the country and wouldn't return until that night, and so he waited. It was past 3 when the dark lord finally appeared, and another half an hour until he called for Severus.

The discussion had been brief. Severus outlined the situation, emphasising how unpleasant this was for all of the Malfoys (Voldemort had enjoyed that), and downplaying the Weasley boy's relationship with Potter. He had finished by saying that holding meeting's at Malfoy Manor would now be impossible as it would be filled with muggle loving fools soon enough.

The dark lord had agreed, saying it was the ideal punishment for Lucius, being tied by marriage to such a disgraceful family.

And now he stood in his living room, and was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed Draco was safe; though once he found out he was marrying Ron Weasley, Severus doubted he would be happy.

He chuckled at the thought as he sat down at his desk and began writing letters to Dumbledore and Narcissa.

Molly's POV

Molly sat in the kitchen; just as she had yesterday when she first received the ministry letter; staring out of the open window at the sun rising above the trees. She had seen Arthur off to work half an hour ago and had decided not to go back to bed, to see if the letter came before the children woke up.

She had no idea who Narcissa Malfoy had written to; but she hoped that as Draco was involved as well this source whoever they were, was reliable.

The sun had fully risen 2 hours later, and the sounds of both Ron and Ginny moving around upstairs could be heard through the ceiling. Molly sighed and decided to just start breakfast; hoping the letter would arrive when the children weren't around.

Unfortunately, no sooner had they sat down to eat, than a large eagle owl swooped in through the window, and landed in front of her. Ron and Ginny both stared at the owl in curiosity as it held out its leg to Molly, where a letter was attached. She removed the letter and the owl immediately took off out of the window again.

Turning the envelope over she saw her name and address written in a slanted handwriting.

"That was a pretty fancy owl, who's the letter from mum?" Ginny asked.

"Oh it's probably nothing important", Molly replied, standing up, "I just remembered I forgot to put some sheets out to dry", and she abruptly left the room.

She faintly heard Ron say, "Well that was weird. you don't think she still sends fan mail to Lockheart do you?"

Walking into the garden, she opened the envelope and sat in the shade of one of the apple trees; she unfolded the letter and began to read.

_To _

_My friend looked into the issue and it turns out that __he__ is not the source of the issue we discussed. He does however know of the events, but I am told he has no interest as his goals have moved away from his original target. Therefore I will be making effected parties on my end known to the situation later today. I suggest you do the same. Once the discussion which will arise has calmed, we will have to arrange a meeting to move forward._

_N.M_

The letter was cryptic, but Molly supposed it was safer not to mention names, and it wasn't hard to understand what Narcissa meant. 'He who must not be named isn't behind this, but he knows about it, however he's not interested as he isn't going after Harry anymore. Well that's good news for Ron and Harry I suppose. She plans to tell Draco today, and I should tell Ron as well I suppose'.

She looked around the garden, worried. It was of course a relief to know that Ron wasn't in any immediate danger; however she didn't savour the task of telling him he was getting married to his school nemesis. 'I supposed it would be easier just to tell everyone at once' she thought; 'having everyone over for dinner tonight would be best'. She stood and headed back to the house, already planning what she would cook.

Draco's POV

Draco sat in the rose garden, thinking about his mother's strange behaviour the day previous.

After she had left to go to Diagon Alley, he had found a house elf fishing a breakfast tray out of one of the fountains in the palm house. The elf wouldn't tell him how it got there, which meant his mother had done it, but why?

She had eventually returned late afternoon, with armfuls of Hermes shopping bags, all full of scarves. This was even more suspicious because she only bought scarves when she was stressed and now she turned up, hours after leaving with about 50.

Before he could even ask however she had walked off to her bedroom saying she was exhausted.

Then early this morning he had heard her pass his room heading towards the owlery to send a letter, she usually just let a house elf do it, something was definitely going on.

Under usual circumstances Draco would have simply found his mother and demanded an explanation; however since it was probably either to do with his farther or the death eaters, he wanted no part in it. 'Plausible deniability, the new family motto', he thought to himself, smirking.

He lay back on the grass and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the bees buzzing from flower to flower. He was almost asleep when a shadow fell across his face; cracking open one eye he looked up at his mother.

"Darling I need to tell you something", she said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Alright", he said, becoming nervous at his behaviour, "take a seat", he patted the grass next to him.

She looked at the billowy silk dress she was wearing and then down at the grass, a look of distaste crossing her face.

"I would prefer to talk indoors, the sun is very bright and I don't have a parasol."

'Yeah right, you just don't want to crease your dress', Draco thought, amused at his mother's obsession with her appearance; "Alright" he replied, standing up and following her back to the house.

As they walked up the steps and into the shade of the cloisters; Draco became more nervous. It didn't show on his face of course, that sort of display showed weakness.

They walked into the main house and entered his mothers reading room, which overlooked the field of purple tulips his farther had had planted for her birthday several years ago. French doors which led out onto a small balcony were open and a floral smell wafted in. There was a small table laid with a tea service, in the centre of the room, which his mother walked over to and sat at, indicating he should do the same.

Once he had been seated and she had poured him some tea, his mother began to speak.

"Draco, yesterday I received a rather serious letter concerning you." She took a sip of tea, "You haven't done anything wrong of course", she said quickly, seeing the look on his face. "Well anyway, initially I was worried that the subject of this letter was the dark lords doing, so I of course wrote to your farther and then set out to gather more information on what was happening."

Draco was now really worried, was this situation really that serious?

"Anyway, I discovered the subject of the letter couldn't be reversed; so I immediately wrote to your godfather and asked him of the dark lord's involvement" she continued.

Draco held his breath.

"He wrote me back this morning and it turns out the dark lord is not involved or interested in this situation", she said smiling at him.

He relaxed slightly; it seemed it wasn't as bad as he thought. "What is this situation then?" he asked. From the little his mother had said, he didn't have a clue.

Narcissa sighed sadly and pulled out a piece of parchment, "This is the letter I received yesterday morning".

Narcissa's POV

Narcissa was beginning to get anxious; Draco had been staring at the letter for nearly 5 minutes and his eyes had stopped moving across the page long ago; his mouth occasionally moved minutely, mouthing words but making no sound. She poured herself another tea, having finished the first cup, and tried to pull her son out of his paralysed state.

"Draco", she whispered, softly.

He looked up at her with utter despair in his eyes; she felt her chest tighten, and had to fight the urge to hug her son.

"You went to see Umbridge?" he asked in a rasp, quickly taking a sip of his now cold tea.

"Yes darling, it was the first thing I did; I tried to get it overturned, but the woman has gone power mad; I had to be escorted out of the ministry by security, even though I had been nothing but reasonable to the woman", she looked out of the window to hide the guilty expression on her face.

"And there was no one else?" Draco asked, his voice returning to normal.

"Not unless you want to marry Yaxley", she said bitterly. They both looked disgusted.

"This isn't fair! She can't do this!" Draco exclaimed, his eyes tearing up.

"You know she can darling, you read the letter, we're all bound by law", Narcissa said soothingly.

"No I won't do it, I'd rather go to prison" Draco burst out.

Narcissa lost her patience at this; standing, she slapped him hard across the cheek,

"That is enough Draco! I will allow you to be displeased with the situation for now, but I will not be seeing another member of this family go to Azkaban! I won't! So you will calm down and act rationally!"

Draco had gone silent after he had been hit and now cowered slightly at his mother's admonishment.

"Do we understand each other Draco?" Narcissa asked, staring down at him disdainfully.

He gathered himself, straightening up in the chair, "Yes Mother, sorry", he replied meekly.

Narcissa sat, and smiled reassuringly at her son, "You have to focus on the positives of the situation. The ministry sent the guidelines of the union this morning, and it's all quite simple. No one is going to force you to consummate the marriage; all you have to do is reside together, and the Weasley boy will have to take our surname."

"Hell would freeze over before I become a Weasley", Draco snorted.

His mother chuckled, glad her son was being reasonable, "Well it seems we're gaining a Malfoy then, doesn't it?"

"He won't come quietly you know; it's bad enough we're polar opposites, without the added injury that he's marrying a man". Draco amusedly replied.

"I wouldn't worry about that; I met his mother at the ministry and we met Umbridge together; she knows the penalties for not going through with it as well", she said, sipping her tea; and then she remembered something, "Draco, Why did Umbridge say she had caught you on several occasions kissing Blaise?"

Draco choked, sending spurts of tea out of his nostrils, all over the lace table cloth.

Molly's POV

The table in the Burrows kitchen was packed.

Almost all of her children were in attendance, excluding Percy; as well as a motley gang of order members, composing Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-eye Moody.

The room was filled with laughter and animated discussion as she sat down at the head of the table; it was good to see everyone was recovering from the loss of Sirius; it pained her that what she had to tell them would probably just add to their troubles, especially Ron's.

She glanced over at her youngest son, who was listening to some story of Lupin's, laughing occasionally. This wasn't going to be easy at all; she didn't even know how to begin, should she just wait for a drop in conversation and just blurt it out?

Some of her worry must have shown on her face because Arthur placed his hand on hers and asked "Are you alright?"

There was no point lying to him, he could always tell; "You'll know soon" she replied, giving him a sad smile.

He looked concerned at her words, but did not question her further.

The end of the meal was drawing near, and Molly knew she would have to tell them soon.

She began to stand when there was a knocking at the back door; everyone watched as she walked over and opened it.

"Albus?" she said, surprised at the sight of the headmaster standing on her door step in flowing red robes.

"Good evening Molly, I heard you had organised a gathering and I was hoping you wouldn't mind me intruding for a short while", Dumbledore said, smiling serenely.

"No, not at all come in", she stepped aside and he entered the kitchen.

After everyone had greeted him and he had been offered a drink, Dumbledore spoke to the room at large.

"I believe Molly has some news she wishes to share with you, hence the reason for gathering you all here tonight" he said, looking at Molly with his twinkling blue eyes.

"You know?" she said weakly, 'well it is Dumbledore I suppose'.

"Yes I'm afraid the ministry informed me of all those effected by this particular act who are attending Hogwarts presently", he replied solemnly.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked, though everyone looked just as confused.

"Would you like to explain, or shall I?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Molly.

"I'm not sure I'm up to it, if you wouldn't mind", Molly replied, sitting down at the table.

"Not at all", Dumbledore smiled and began.


	5. Chapter5 Unexpected Visits

**Well first I would like to apologise for the wait. I find it a lot easier to write and update when at university; however now that I'm back home I always manage to distract myself.**

**I also got a job which is a big deal for me (I lead a very Malfoy like existence) so that has kept me from writing.**

**I have however recently managed to write some more and so I figured it was high time for an update.**

**Feel free to comment, when I comment on other peoples stuff I usually just put 'Yay'. Personally I would prefer longer comments but a yay wouldn't be unwelcome.**

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Chapter 5 – Unexpected Visits **

Narcissa's POV

Shortly after leaving Draco to sulk by himself; Narcissa received a letter from her husband, summoning her to visit him at once. Though it would be breaking her oath not to have contact with him while in Azkaban, and the fact she hated being ordered to do anything; she decided he deserved a visit as he was Draco's farther, and would naturally be concerned. Of course if he was simply going to manipulate the situation to his advantage, she would leave immediately.

She apperated to the Azkaban gates which were located at Peterhead on the eastern coast of Scotland. Once through security, she then flooed to Azkaban Fortress which was located in the centre of the North Sea.

The minute she stepped out of the fireplace, she felt the slight chill of dementors. Of course the whole place was built of smooth black stone, so it didn't exactly retain heat anyway. She was escorted to Lucius's cell by two guards and was left outside the bars with a timer counting down from 10 minutes.

Lucius was sitting cross legged on the floor; when she appeared his expression had changed to that of an excited dog when it's master returns home; however he soon schooled it back into the usual Malfoy mask.

"Narcissa, I wasn't sure whether you would come when I wrote", Lucius said, coolly.

"Well I was simply dying to see how you had decorated", she looked around the bare cell in mock eagerness, "that's nice, does it come in a double?" she pointed at the hay bale bed.

Lucius glared, "Oh ha ha, I bet you're loving this, seeing me locked up here while you enjoy the high life".

It seemed even he realised how stupid what he had said was, because there followed a very tense silence, in which he stared at the floor.

"If that was the sort of person I was, I would have divorced you long ago Lucius, when it became apparent you loved yourself more than your family. Do you think I enjoy being the wife of Lucius Malfoy, imprisoned death eater? And what about Draco?

When people look at him they see you, is that a good thing? No it's not. Draco has far more potential to do great things, then you ever did; and yet his reputation is polluted by you.

To be honest Lucius if you were anything close to a man I would divorce you!"

Another awkward silence followed in which neither of them made eye contact.

"I'm sorry", Lucius said quietly.

Narcissa was stunned; in 18 years of marriage that was the first sorry she had ever heard him give; it was … well nice.

Her expression softened, "Why am I here Lucius? I wrote you what Severus told me. The dark lord is not involved, Draco is safe."

"Yes, and that's great" said Lucius; "However there is still the matter of me".

Narcissa scoffed, "What about you? Angling for a bigger cell are we?"

Lucius stood abruptly and stepped forward so he was pressed against the bars. Narcissa made to step back, however he grabbed the lapel of her coat and furiously whispered; "I'm not sure whether this has occurred to you or the dark lord, but I know far more about death eater activities than Draco does; and what's to stop me telling that oaf Dumbledore everything I know now that I'm not a death eater and my son is marrying a Weasley. Before all this I had no protection from the dark lord and so he was sure I would keep my mouth shut, however now we have this 'Order of the Phoenix' and when he realises this" he took a dramatic inhale, "he will silence me".

Narcissa fought the urge to roll her eyes; Lucius had always been a bit of drama queen; however he did have a point.

She walked out of the prison gates sometime later and began apperating towards the Weasley house.

Severus's POV

Severus sat slumped in one of the armchairs in his library at Spinners end, gazing angrily into the fire as he recalled the meeting he had had earlier that evening with Dumbledore.

He had been awoken from his nap by a knocking at the front door and, pulling on some clothes, had flung it open to discover the Headmaster, resplendent in flowing green robes standing in his grimy front garden.

At first he was alarmed that some death eater might be watching the house and would, quite rightly, be suspicious as to why the leader of the 'opposition' was making a house call; however Dumbledore quickly assured him that a heavy disillusionment charm surrounded him and he was invisible to everyone save him.

Severus promptly invited him inside and seated him in the small library, in one of the few book free spaces where he had managed to fit a pair of armchairs.

Taking a seat opposite he waited for the old man to begin explaining why he had come. For a long while Dumbledore simply stared into the fire, its light causing his eyes to sparkle even more than they did normally. Eventually he sighed and slowly turned to fix Severus with an apologetic look.

"I'm presently on my way to the Burrow where Molly is planning to tell the family of the situation; however I felt I should stop here first as there is certain information which I have not disclosed to you which you rightly deserve to know".

Severus inwardly groaned at this; it had only been a few months ago that Dumbledore had revealed the existence of the dark lord's horcruxes and his quest to find and destroy them all; and barely two weeks previous that he had turned up with his hand cursed by a ring which was apparently one of these fragments of soul. Fortunately the curse had not spread far by the time Severus was presented with it, however he had had no choice but to amputate from the mid forearm as it was so powerful.

Dumbledore was out of danger; he had made a prosthetic hand and glamoured it to look lifelike; and another horcrux was destroyed.

"I thought we said no more secrets" Severus said coldly, "After finding out you have been leading Potter to what might be his death, my ability to follow you blindly is gone. Do not expect me to do your bidding if it involves placing more innocent parties in danger, simply for your greater good".

Dumbledore recoiled slightly at this last statement and replied, rather weakly, "No one is in any more danger than they were before I came up with this plan".

"So it's another plan then?" Severus said bitterly amused.

"Yes it's a plan", Dumbledore replied sounding rather excited, "You see I took your suggestion to approach Lucius for assistance rather seriously. However as you said at the time we needed something to offer him, as he wasn't going to willingly come to our side without some persuasion. I toyed with the idea of offering him money, however he already has plenty, and the order needs it far more than he does. I also considered offering him his freedom; however that is not really mine to give and I don't think he really deserves it. I even thought about reinstating him on the board of governors after his release, but it became obvious that bribery was not a viable option to get Lucius. I therefore came to the conclusion that I would have to engineer a situation which left him no choice but to come to our side. And where would I get such leverage? Well Voldemort had already handed it to me on a silver platter, 'The Wizarding Preservation Act 1501'"

"So it was you!" Snape shouted, leaping up from his chair, "I should have known, who else regularly interferes in the lives of young boys, you withered old paedophile! My godson! And the Weasleys! They trust you! And how do you repay them? By marrying their son to a family they hate!"

"Severus please sit down and listen", Dumbledore asked pleadingly.

Severus sat, looking mutinous.

"As I was saying, all I did was secretly visit the Department of Wizarding Culture remove Draco's file and return it at the opportune moment. Neither he nor Ronald would have been able to avoid the act anyway, they simply would have been married to other people, all I did was alter the inevitable a little". Dumbledore finished smugly.

"But they both hate each other and they're straight", Severus said, exasperatedly.

"It's a thin line between love and hate", Dumbledore said wisely, "Both require passion and obsession; and have you ever seen any real evidence to indicate that either Draco or Ronald are straight? I myself pride myself on having an excellent Gaydar."

"Gaydar?" Severus asked, confused.

"Yes it's rather large devise of my own invention; it resembles a muggle musical instrument they call a 'French Horn'. All you have to do is point it at the person whose orientation you wish to know and blow through the mouth piece; the trumpet will then shout either 'Gay', 'Straight', or 'Bisexual'. It's really very amusing" Dumbledore finished, chuckling.

'God what sick bastard' Severus thought to himself.

"Anyway if you have any qualms about my plan you may borrow my Gaydar anytime you like and find out what Mr Malfoy and Weasley's preferences are", Dumbledore said, as if this solved the situation.

Dumbledore rose from his chair and patted Severus on the shoulder. "I'm afraid I must be going now, I dare say Molly will be needing my help to explain the situation. I will see you in a few weeks". Dumbledore strode to the door and left.

And so here Severus sat, not 10 minutes later brooding over Dumbledore's latest manipulations.

'Old coot' he thought as he drifted back to sleep.

Molly's POV

"THEY CAN'T MAKE ME! I WON'T DO IT! I WON'T!"

"Who in their right minds would come up with a law like that?"

"Who would let Umbridge run a department after last year?"

"RON CAN'T MARRY MALFOY, THEY HATE EACH OTHER".

"No one seems that bothered about the fact they're both men".

"Oh yeah, FREDS RIGHT, I CAN'T MARRY A MAN!"

"Well on the bright side, -he who must not be named- is not involved".

"Way to find a silver lining Bill; the lesser of two evils, marry Malfoy or die"

"There's not much between the two options is there".

Dumbledore had arrived not 20 minutes previously and as he had explained the situation the number of indignant outbursts had rapidly increased until the whole table had been shouting across each other. Ron had also slowly gotten redder in the face until he was basically shouting nonstop, barely pausing for breath (which didn't help the colour of his face). The twins, as understanding as ever, had burst into fits of laughter and were only now picking themselves of the floor wiping their eyes.

"Grow up all of you! And be quiet!" Molly screeched to the room at large, which went silent almost immediately.

"Ron I know how upset you must be, but please let Professor Dumbledore finish before you say anything else."

"Thank you Molly", Dumbledore said, smiling at her. "As I was saying, many of the students in your year, Ronald, have been affected like yourself; however as your mother and Mrs Malfoy discovered, there is nothing that can be done about it. At any rate it sounds a lot worse than it actually is. All that is required is that the couple reside together and of course marry; there is nothing in the law which requires you to have any relationship with your partner whether it be physical or otherwise".

"Its not much better, I still have to live with the death eater git" Ron mumbled stubbornly.

"Ronald! Language!" Molly chided.

"As you know Ronald, the Malfoys now have no connection to the death eaters, they are no longer welcome on that side and so it is only right that we give them an opportunity to join ours" Dumbledore explained.

"I think Lucius would sooner give all his money to muggles" Arthur snorted.

"I wouldn't be so sure, a little time in Azkaban may have shown him his choice in friends was not that wise" Dumbledore said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "I would be very surprised if he flatly refused my invitation to join us as a consultant of sorts".

Molly sighed and took a sip from her wine glass. She was glad to see Ron seemed to be calming down; his face was no longer red and contorted in rage; however he now just looked miserable which wasn't much better. In fact everyone, save the twins, looked like they were at a funeral.

"For goodness sake, it's not like someone died. Ron as soon as –he who must not be named- is defeated we can simply have the whole thing reversed; so all you have to do is put up with it until then" Molly exclaimed.

Ron looked up, hope glimmering in his eyes, "Really?" he asked.

"Yes" said Dumbledore, smiling, "So all you have to do is get along with Draco and focus on your studies, it's not that hard really".

Molly was relieved to see Ron looked a great deal happier, she knew from experience how difficult an uncooperative child could be.

There was a knocking at the kitchen door, everyone at the table turned to look.

"I was rather hoping she would come here, though it is rather sooner than I expected", Dumbledore mused.

Everyone turned to look at him confused, however he simply smiled benignly, and so Molly got up and opened the door.

She found a slightly nervous looking Narcissa Malfoy stood on the door step, looking around at the moonlit yard. She straightened as the door opened and adopted a neutral expression.

"Good evening" she said stiffly, "We need to talk".

"Oh" Molly replied, this was the last person she expected would ever visit her house willingly, "come in", she said stepping back and smiling encouragingly.

Narcissa crossed the threshold and faltered at the sight of all the people at the table, all of whom, save Dumbledore, were gormlessly staring at her.

"Ah Narcissa, its lovely to see you again, won't you sit down?" Dumbledore greeted, conjuring a chair.

"I'm not interrupting something am I?" Narcissa asked, not really sounding apologetic, simply wary.

"No no, we had just finished telling everyone the situation", Molly said leading her to an empty chair, "Would you like a drink?"

"Err red wine", Narcissa replied spotting a bottle on the table.

'She's going to need it' Molly thought, biting her lip.

Narcissa's POV

To say Narcissa felt uncomfortable was a bit of an understatement. Having a room full of people, you usually wouldn't dream of associating with, staring at you with mixtures of shock and mistrust was not exactly relaxing.

The Weasley woman came bustling over and placed a glass of red wine in front of her and then took a seat near the end of the table.

Once seated Dumbledore finally broke the rather pregnant silence, "Well it's probably high time for some introductions", he beamed stupidly around the table, and finally people started to stop staring and looked towards the Headmaster.

"This is of course Draco's mother and Lucius's wife, Narcissa Malfoy, formerly Black".

Most of the table's occupants seemed untroubled by this, however Narcissa spotted both the warewolf Lupin and a youngish woman with pink hair next to him shift uncomfortably.

She supposed as one of her cousins closest friends Lupin would be uncomfortable at any reference to Sirius Black so soon after his death; however she had no idea who the bizarre looking woman was.

Dumbledore had begun talking again and so Narcissa pulled herself out of musings and listened.

"Where should I begin? You know Molly of course", she inclined her head in assent and Molly smiled, "Her husband Arthur", she vaguely recognised the balding red haired man who also smiled at her, "Their eldest son Bill", Dumbledore motioned to a rather wild looking red head who had far to many piercings, "Second eldest Charlie, here on a visit from Romania", a very tanned, stocky Weasley across from her nodded, "The twins Fred and George", two identical boys waved at her enthusiastically, which was … confusing, "Remus Lupin who you may remember from your school days", Narcissa nodded and gave Lupin a tight smile, "Mad Eye Moody and Nymthadora Tonks of the Auror Department."

Narcissa nearly gagged on the wine she had just drunk. Tonks! That girl with the ridiculous hair was Andie's daughter?

Admittedly she hadn't seen Andromeda (AKA 'Andie') since she was 10 when her elder sister had been disinherited for getting pregnant at 16 with a mud-blood's child.

She remembered being sad at the time, Andie was so much more fun than her twin Bella, however her parents had told her that she could never see her again and she had obeyed.

It seemed Dumbledore could tell what she had been thinking about because he suddenly said, "I suppose you're a little stunned to be meeting your only niece for the first time under these circumstances?" he gestured at Tonks who looked equally uncomfortable, while the rest of the table looked scandalised at the news.

"Wait so Draco is Tonks's cousin?" a red headed girl, who she supposed must be Ginny Weasley, asked.

"Yes", Narcissa replied fixing the girl with a defiant stare.

"And this is the first time you're both meeting?" the girl asked, an incredulous look on her face.

"I was only 10 years old when my sister ran off with that mud.. Tonks nobody; what was I supposed to do? Pack up my dolls house and chase after her?" she snorted sarcastically, "She was a branded as an outcast by my parents and there word was final. Anyway it's not like Andromeda ever tried to contact me!"

Narcissa realised that her voice had become unusually high. It seemed Andromeda leaving her in that dingy castle with nobody but Bella and her god awful parents, had hurt a lot more than she had admitted, even to herself.

"Perhaps we should leave the family reunion to another time and finish the introductions", Dumbledore said, breaking yet another awkward silence.

Narcissa took another deep gulp of wine which Dumbledore took as an assent.

"The girl you were just talking to was Ginny, the youngest and only daughter of the Weasleys", the annoying ginger girl smirked unpleasantly.

"And finally the groom to be, Ronald", Dumbledore finished, chuckling to himself.

Narcissa looked towards the end of the table and her eyes met with the boy who sat their.

She had glimpsed Ronald Weasley several times over the years when she had been seeing Draco off at Platform 9 ¾ , however he was only identifiable against all his other ridiculously ginger siblings as he was Potter's sidekick.

'Well he's tall, not too lanky either, but there is still that hair' she thought.

In fact, that was the main problem Narcissa now had with the whole situation. To her knowledge there had never been a ginger Malfoy, and it just felt like the two clashed.

"We could just dye the hair, not sure what to do about the horrible posture, and where in Merlins name to begin with his manners, you'd think it was eat or be eaten", she snorted into her glass and looked around. The room was silent and everyone was staring at her.

'Oh, I said that out loud', she thought, swaying slightly in her seat, 'Oh dear'.

"What do you mean 'dye my hair', and what's wrong with my manners?" Ron demanded.

"Ron dear, you could maybe use some etiquette lessons", Mrs Weasley said, diplomatically. "Narcissa, I think you should drink coffee from now on", she smiled kindly, pulling the newly refilled glass from Narcissa's reluctant grip.

"Well why should I dye my hair? I don't want to fit in with your snot nosed family!" Ron huffed.

Had Narcissa not been two sheets to the wind, she probably would have found the 'ginger-in-law's' words offensive. However she was feeling uncharacteristically empathetic and so she replied; "Fine. I suppose as you are the wife in all this, you can keep the hair, offensive on the eyes as it is, and we will just work on the manners for now", she swayed again as the room began to spin.

"What do you mean wife?" the twins asked in unison.

"You know, the surname, running the house … Oh and children of course!" she remembered as an after thought.

The twins howled with laughter at the expression on Ron's face, and even Ginny was twitching with repressed mirth.

"I … What? … Why?" Ron stuttered.

Narcissa sighed, the boy was a pureblood, 'he should have been taught this' she thought glaring at Arthur Weasley.

"Well, as for the surname, in the case of pureblood same-sex marriages the older family takes priority, and that is effective from the beginning of the engagement contract. So you are now Ronald Malfoy.

The children? Well you of course have to provide an heir for the Malfoy name; in fact that's the closest thing you'll ever have to a job, as a good pureblood wife doesn't work. As for running the house, we have house elves so it's not exactly taxing."

She looked at Ron, who still didn't seem to understand how obvious this all should be. "Am I forgetting anything? Well of course to have children you will need to have sex. You do know what sex is, don't you?" She gazed pityingly at Ron while the twins rolled around, smacking the floor, and crying with laughter.

"Here drink this, I put some sobering potion in it", the Weasley woman said, in a very high voice, placing a steaming mug in front of her.

She downed the coffee, choking as it scolded her tongue, however the dizziness vanished immediately and her heads felt much clearer. She also realised the stupidity of some of the things she had said, and had to fight the urge to bury her face in her hands and groan, it was never a good idea to drink in the presence of 'lower' individuals.

The twins had finally stopped laughing and were getting back into their seats, when Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat, "I imagine there was a purpose to your visit Narcissa? Other than to fill Ronald in on his 'duties', so to speak."

"Yes, there is" she replied contemptuously, "however it is not for public ears, if you catch my drift".

"Children, Bed!" The Weasley woman suddenly ordered, seemingly glad of a reason to banish them from the room. The twins, Ronald, and Ginny girl stood instantly and climbed the stairs.

'Well, a family the size of an army needs the order of one' Narcissa thought, her opinion of the Weasley matriarch was rising surprisingly quickly.

**Well there we go, chapter 5.**

**I was running through some future plot lines in my head and wanted some opinions, if anyone wants to give them.**

**1. As in the book, Ron starts dating Lavender Brown, however he is still married to Draco. Draco of course gets jealous and uses underhanded methods to break them up.**

**2. Blaize starts tries to continue his relationship with Draco to Ron's annoyance.**

**3. Although I have written a setup for Ron to be the bottom/uke/catcher I think I might make him the top, however Draco won't go down without a fight … literally.**

**4. I am definitely going to work another slash in but I'm not sure who. Off the top of my head Percy-Marcus however I'm open to suggestions.**


	6. Chapter6 Dead on Paper

**Hello everyone, it has been a while. Have not found the time to write recently … but I will !**

**I also just read the last chapter I posted and I want to retract my slash suggestion of Percy and Marcus, I think I will still have another slash, but not them.**

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Chapter 6 – Dead on Paper**

Ron's POV

Ron was in shock. In fact coma patients would have a clearer grasp of the present situation if in his position.

It just didn't make sense. After playing a giant chess game; visiting the Chamber of Secrets; discovering your rat was a death eater; and breaking into the department of mysteries; he had come to accept the danger which now frequented his existence.

But this? This was not … well, predictable.

He supposed he should try to treat this like all the other 'situations' he had ended up in, and hence try to focus on the positives.

'The Positives, right! Positives … Positives' he hummed to himself.

This was not going to be easy.

'Well I should start with the simplest ones. I'm not dead … great! Malfoy isn't allowed to kill me … he might still try though. His father is in Azkaban … for now. This isn't Voldemorts doing … makes a nice change.' He thought, vaguely aware that he had somehow made it to his room, and was now sitting on his bed.

He let out the breath he had been holding and slumped backwards so he was staring at the ceiling.

He wished there was someone he could talk to about this who would understand; however his two best friends were out of the question for now.

From the look of his letters, Harry was still devastated by Sirius's death and was in no state to receive more bad news, it was probably best to tell him when he came to visit in a few weeks.

Hermione, depite her academic brilliance, was still a muggle-born and probably wouldn't understand the intricacies of pureblood marriages, and a lot of the rules were passed down through families so she would have a hard time finding much in any library.

He didn't know how long he had been laying there but eventually there came a soft knocking at the door and Ginny poked her head into the unlit room.

"Ron, are you awake?"

"No"

She flicked on the light and walked over, staring down at him with a concerned expression.

"So … how are things?"

He looked at her trying to convey his emotions through the expression on his face.

"That good huh?" she said, sitting down next to him.

"I have had better days"

"I wouldn't feel to sorry for yourself; I mean you are getting what you always wanted".

"I think I would remember if Draco Malfoy was what I always wanted".

"If you look at it objectively he is. Do you remember when we got drunk at Fred and Georges 17th birthday party and we started talking about our ideal future spouses?"

Ron racked his brain for the memory, "Yeah, you said you wanted to either marry a quidditch champion or Harry, or you wanted Harry to be a quidditch champion and then marry him or a more mature Dean Thomas who wouldn't stare at other girls tits".

"Admittedly Dean was a pervert and that's why I dumped him; but what I was talking about was what your ideal spouse was"

"I don't know" Ron tried to bring forth the memory, however he had been very drunk at the time.

"Then allow me to enlighten you" Ginny said hauling him up into a sitting position "You said wanted someone incredibly good looking who would turn heads wherever they went; well I mean Malfoy may be a git but its common knowledge that he is, in Seamus's words 'Sextacular' ".

"Please, Seamus will have sex with anything, why do you think I keep Pigwidgeon locked in a cage?"

"Don't interrupt! Next you said you wanted someone rich so you would never have to worry about money again. I mean you do complain a lot about how poor we are, and it's not a bad thing, we all want more money and the Malfoys are one of the richest wizarding families in Europe so you're set for life".

"Its not for life Ginny! Just until this stupid law is abolished"

"Well then you might as well enjoy the money while you have it. You also said you wanted someone who would take care of you and wouldn't constantly expect you to support them. Well according to Mrs Malfoy you're the wife, I think that's how it works; all you're expected to do is keep the staff in line and have children".

"Ginny I can't have children with Malfoy, he's a guy!"

"Ron you're not stupid; Snape taught us about the potion that can allow same-sex couples to become pregnant in first year; it's an expensive potion but its not impossible."

Ron couldn't for the life of him remember ever learning that; however Ginny had stood up and was heading for the door.

Before she left she looked over her shoulder "Also when we were talking about our ideal spouses you never said 'she', you only ever said 'they' or 'them'. Just something to think about."

She turned of the light and closed the door behind her.

Lucius's POV

_Daily Prophet – "Lucius Malfoy Found Dead"_

_Lucius Malfoy head of the Malfoy family and convicted death eater was found dead yesterday morning in his cell in Azkaban prison. The cause of death is believed to be suicide and is not being treated as suspicious by the authorities. However one member of the Aurour department who wished to remain un-named commented that the body was almost unidentifiable, which leads us to believe that it was a pretty gruesome suicide. _

_Lady Narcissa Malfoy has been unavailable for comment; however it is likely that the family will soon be announcing the engagement of the heir Draco Malfoy who is one of those effected by the 'Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501', though his future bride is yet to be revealed._

_Will this mark the end of the families association with 'You-Know-Who' or is young Draco simply the new generation of death eater?_

_Rita Skeeter – Daily Prophet Reporter _

"I have to say I'm rather disappointed my death produced such a small article; I mean there isn't even a picture of me".

"Lucius will you shut up, I'm trying to write" Arthur growled from across the table.

The two men were sat in the kitchen of number 12 Gimmauld Place, which was to be Lucius's home until it was safe for him to come out of hiding. The order had faked his death the morning after Narcissa had visited the burrow.

As he had asked when she visited him, Narcissa had informed Dumbledore that Lucius had important information and was ready to talk in exchange for his and his family's safety.

"I'm bored" he whined. He was in a remarkably good mood which was probably an effect of not being around the dementors.

"Too bad" Arthur said without looking up.

"What happened to you Arthur? You used to be fun".

"I was not".

"Come on Arthur we hung around at school, though you were grumpy then as well".

"I was only grumpy because as head-boy my deputy was supposed to help me prevent students from breaking rules, rather than breaking them himself"

Lucius smiled, "Good times. And now we're going to be family. It's all coming together Arthur, you and me, happy families".

Before Arthur could reply the door of the kitchen opened and Dumbledore strolled in.

"And how are we all today?" He said beaming.

"Lucius is acting weird" Arthur replied.

"I am not! I'm just happy".

"I prefer you miserable"

"Arthur, Lucius that's enough", Dumbledore said taking a seat at the head of the table, "Molly and Ronald should be here any second and Narcissa and Draco will be arriving in 5 minutes. I thought it best that they not arrive at the same time in order to avoid awkwardness, at least some of it anyway".

It was pureblood tradition that before an engagement was officially announced, the terms of the marriage had to be agreed in a meeting with the heads of both families present.

They had chosen to hold the meeting at Grimmauld Place as it was neutral ground for both families.

Dumbledore stood, "I have prepared the necessary papers and they are ready in the dinning room, I suggest we go up and greet our guests".

As the climbed the stairs the sound of the floo could be heard from the drawing room and when they entered Arthur's wife was dusting herself off and looking around the room. She smiled at her husband and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"As is pureblood tradition we start with introductions" Dumbledore announced, "Lucius this is Arthur's wife Molly Weasley, Molly this is Narcissa's husband Lucius".

"Charmed" Lucius said shaking her hand, she smiled politely but remained silent.

Nudging her husband, Arthur then stepped forward trying to keep his face impassive, "Lucius I would like to introduce my youngest son Ronald" he gestured over to the fireplace.

He only then noticed that there was a very uncomfortable looking teen standing on the far side of the room. The boy was tall and well built, {'probably from quidditch' he thought}, he had the same Weasley ginger hair however it was far darker than his parents and was wavy rather than frizzy. He still had freckles but only on his cheeks and nose; all in all he wasn't bad … for a Weasley of course.

"Ronald this is Draco's farther Lucius Malfoy" Arthur finished looking slightly ill.

"Yes we've met Dad" the boy said in a low voice, "about two months ago he tried to kill me and my friends in the Department of Mysteries".

There was a very tense silence which seemed to drag on for what seemed hours.

"Kill is a very strong word and though I can't speak for other death eaters, I never tried to kill any of you" Lucius said, raising his hands diplomatically.

The Weasley boy scoffed however his mother gave him a very stern look and he remained silent, choosing to simply glare instead.

"Ronald, Lucius has turned over a new leaf and it is our job to support him, hence I will accept nothing less than civility, from either of you" Dumbldore stared hard at both of them, "Now shake hands".

The boy seemed unwilling to approach, so Lucius closed the space across the drawing room and held out his hand. For a moment it appeared as if the boy was going to ignore it, however he eventually raised his arm and gave a very unenthusiastic shake. Dumbledore at the very least seemed satisfied.

"Now, shall we head to the dinning room before our other guests walk in on us? Lucius if you would like to stay and welcome them, I am sure you have some catching up to do".

They left and headed into the next room and Lucius turned to stare nervously at the fire, awaiting his family.

Draco's POV

Draco stood in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, adjusting his tie for the fifth time, awaiting his mother so they could depart to this 'Grimmauld Place'.

He knew very little of the place apart from what she had told him; she had visited her aunt's house often when she was a child and that it now legally belonged to Potter, who it turned out was Sirius Black's godson.

If it was anything like his mothers childhood home, Black Castle, then he was expecting a great deal of dust and decay. The Blacks were old in every sense of the word.

What prayed on his mind more however was the fact that his father would be there at the meeting.

He had half expected never to see his father again when he was taken off to Azkaban, it wasn't like the dementors let people go willingly.

As for meeting Weasley it was inevitable; it was impossible to get out of the marriage and as they had to reside together it was logical that they would eventually have to be in each others presence.

As for the meeting, it was too important for him to be nervous. The terms of the entire marriage were dictated at this conference and Draco wasn't going to give any ground to those gingers.

He was so distracted with his inner scheming that he didn't notice his mother had finally finished getting ready.

They seemed to be on the same wavelength as they both wore intimidating dark suits, however hers had a large amount of mink on the lapels and she was, as usual, wearing heels.

"Ready?" She asked squeezing his hand.

He grimaced but said nothing. She let out a tinkling laugh and led them both towards the floo.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Anyway your father will be there".

"Great" Draco replied rolling his eyes.

They stepped into the green flames and were whipped away from the room.

Narcissa's POV

The horrible spinning sensation eventually slowed and she could glimpse a dank drawing room through the flames. Stepping out of the fireplace she surveyed the room with great distaste.

Her aunt had never had anything near a sense of style and the room had not apparently improved with age. The furniture was moth-eaten, the wood work had worms, and the grandfather clock was clanging alarmingly.

Her attention was averted however when Lucius lifted himself from an armchair in the far corner and approached her, a nervous smile on his face.

He halted when he was within 3 feet of her and looked uncertain as to whether he should risk closing the distance.

It was rather alarming behaviour from someone as confident as Lucius; however she decided to take pity on him and moved forwards to examine his face.

"I must say you look remarkably good for someone who's dead" she teased, turning his head this way and that she was glad to see he had shaved, his hair was still a complete mess though, but she loved a challenge.

As if reading her mind, Lucius smirked, "I'm afraid the make-over will have to wait".

She pouted slightly, but his attention had been drawn to behind her. She turned to see Draco standing in front of the fireplace looking wary.

"Father", he gave a curt nod, his eyes like freezing ice.

There was a rather tense silence, in which she tugged at her fur lapels; Lucius however eventually stepped past her and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Draco.

"We should get on with this. Where are they?"

Lucius nodded and turned to lead them out. As he passed her, she swore she saw disappointment in his eyes. However it was impossible, Lucius had always been distant towards Draco and it wasn't about to change now, was it?

They walked out into the hall, turning immediately and walking into the adjacent room, which turned out to be a spacious dinning room.

The long cherry wood table had been cleared and dusted and morning sunlight streamed in from the large windows on the far side of the room.

The Weasleys were sat on the other side of the table facing three empty seats; Dumbledore was positioned at the head of the table with a large stack of forms in front of him.

When they entered he stood and smiled, "Narcissa, Draco, it's very good to see you".

They both inclined their heads, so Dumbledore continued, "Well why don't you all take a seat and we will finish the introductions".

They sat, copying the Weaselys by flanking Draco, Narcissa on his left, Lucius his right.

"I believe you all met Narcissa a few days ago when she visited her home"

Narcissa looked to her right and saw Draco staring at her with a scandalised expression; she had to failed to mention she had actually been inside the Weasley's 'home'.

"So all that remains is the other groom"

Draco glowered at Dumbledore, but he just beamed right back.

"Molly, Arthur, Ronald this is the heir to the Malfoy family, Draco. I am aware that Ronald and Draco already know each other from school however we have to do this by the book. Draco these are Ronald's parents Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley".

Both Weasleys smiled warmly at Draco however Ronald simply stared blankly at him.


	7. Chapter7 Fierce Negotiation

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait but I'm currently writing my dissertation, so the chapter updates are going to be a bit sporadic until Feb.**

**Its becoming a bit taxing how slow this story is moving; however I read a lot of other fan-fics similar to this and I detest when authors jump time simply to avoid writing about it. Good news is we are getting closer to the wedding!**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, every time I get one it reminds me I need to update, so the more reviews the more updates.**

**Although someone sent me a review saying I made lots of grammatical errors … thanks for that, it made my day (sarcasm).**

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Chapter 7 – Fierce Negotiation **

Draco's POV

Draco had decided it was best that he didn't look at the Weasel. He new if he looked at his soon to be spouse, he would get irritated or he would see something that would irritate him, like that ginger hair or the gormless expression he always wore at school.

He had inclined his head at both Weasley parents; they seemed nice enough, though maybe a little too eager to please others.

He could feel the oaf son staring at him, however he fought the urge to fidget and attempted to follow what Dumbledore was saying.

"Anyway, now that everyone knows each other we can get on with the arrangements.

As it stands the Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501 does not permit divorce; however given the turbulent times we live in", there was an awkward pause, "we will make the terms of the marriage based on the assumption that in the future you will be permitted a divorce if you so wish it". Both Draco and Ron snorted in indignation; it seemed they agreed that this marriage was not one that would stand the test of time.

Dumbledore continued, "Both families have made a list of requests which the opposing family can negotiate or agree on". Both sets of parents nodded.

"I feel it best we start with the Weasleys as they have the shorter list, if that is agreeable?"

He was met with silence from all the Malfoys and so took it as an assent.

"First on the list is that Ron stays in constant contact while residing with Draco (i.e. at least two letters a week or firecalls) which will include attending dinner at the Burrow at least once every week accompanied by Draco when they are not in school".

Draco wasn't exactly keen on having to visit the Weasley's hovel every week, however it was a sensible enough request and it would not be wise to refuse so early on. He therefore nodded.

Dumbledore beamed, "Alright; Second once residing together Draco must behave in a respecting manner towards Ron".

He had been expecting this one and he supposed for the sake of his parents he could keep the insults he longed to throw at Ron in his head. He nodded again.

"Third; there will be no restrictions on Ron's movements while he is residing with you".

It would suit Draco fine if the Weasel buggered off everyday, so he nodded vigorously.

"Forth; when in informal situations Ron would like to still use the surname 'Weasley'".

Both Draco and his parents shook their heads in unison.

His Mother addressed Weasley imperiously, "When this engagement was formed you became a Malfoy, as I told you at our last meeting, and from hence forth you will be nothing but a Malfoy, to everyone. Is that clear?"

Ron seemed on the point of arguing; however his mother rested a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. She at least was aware of how this worked. Ron therefore nodded grudgingly.

Dumbledore seemed satisfied and so continued. "I am afraid I myself will have to object to your last request, 'Ron will sleep in a separate room when residing with Draco'. In the conditions of the Wizarding Heritage Preservation Act 1501 it states that spouses must share a bedchamber once married. This also, I'm afraid, applies to when you are both at school as well. The necessary arrangements have been made for all those students affected, however now is not the time to discuss it".

Both Draco and Ron looked vaguely ill at the prospect of sharing a room.

Ron's POV

It had been over a year since Ron had properly looked at Draco. Since the return of Voldemort his nemesis had become withdrawn and had long since stopped seeking him out for confrontations.

He had changed quite a lot since the Tri-Wizard Tournament; he had grown taller so that he was now only a few inches shorter than himself; he had lost some weight as well, his once curved features had a more elegant sharpness to them now.

He still unfortunately had that horrible arrogance about him and seemed to be determined not to look at him.

'To low for you to even look at?' Ron thought darkly, deciding to glare non-stop at Malfoy until he couldn't take it anymore.

After a while he became aware that Dumbledore had begun to read the Malfoy's requirements, and so he gave up glaring and decided to listen.

"And now to the Malfoy's list". He unfurled a very long roll of parchment. "First on the list, Ronald must address all members of his new family in a civil manner befitting his new status".

He guessed he would have to do this and so grunted in assent; Mrs Malfoy looked appalled.

"Second, Ronald must address all new family members by their first names".

He knew he would it would be excruciatingly awkward at first but he suppose he would eventually have to get used to it. He nodded; both his mother and Mrs Malfoy looked incredibly relieved he hadn't grunted again.

"Third, Ronald must be present for both breakfast and dinner when residing at Malfoy Manor".

He supposed that as long as he could actually leave the house between these events he was okay with this, he nodded.

"Forth, Ronald must go through private education in etiquette, host duties, floristry, floriography, cookery, style, pronunciation, and dance with his mother-in-law until he is a satisfactory representation of the Malfoy family. These lessons will begin ASAP".

Ron was outraged and began to open his mouth to flatly refuse when his mother slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Ron accepts".

He looked at his mother with betrayal written all over his face.

She blushed but still looked determined.

"I'm sorry Ron, but it will do you nothing but good, and that's final!"

Dumbledore chose to plow on, rather than linger on the subject.

"Fifth, Ronald must give some prior warning to a member of his new family before he invites guests to his new home".

'So many fucking rules. Who do you think I'm going to invite? Hagrid? … Not a terrible idea actually' He smirked at the thought and nodded.

"Sixth, Ronald must understand fully that it is his responsibility to bear children".

'I understand but it's never going to happen'

"Seventh, Any children produced during the marriage will remain in the custody of Draco if the marriage ends in divorce".

"No!"

All three Weasleys had exclaimed at once and his mother was suddenly on her feet.

"Ron has equal rights as a parent even in the case of a divorce" Molly stated.

Arthur nodded in agreement.

"There aren't going to be any children to have custody over!" Ron yelled.

Lucius sighed, "This is simply a precaution to cover every possible eventuality; and seeing as our son seems to prefer the company of" he pulled a face as though searching for the right words "gentlemen, it seems only appropriate we keep any heirs we can get our hands on, I mean male pregnancy is possible but it's hit and miss".

Ron glanced at Draco and was surprised to see what looked like a blush spreading over his stoic expression.

'So … Malfoy is Gay? And he can blush. Not so up yourself now eh?' he thought, inwardly doing a victory dance.

"Regardless Lucius, you have our answer" Arthur replied.

Lucius glanced at Narcissa; she shrugged in a 'win some loose some' sort of way and he nodded in defeat.

Both his parents sat back down looking calm again.

Dumbledore, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, started up again as if nothing had happened.

"Eighth, Ronald must attend functions as a member of the Malfoy family and Draco's spouse as the need requires".

'As long as it's not a death eater meeting I suppose I'll live'

"Ninth, Ronald must be civil to all Slytherins, especially towards Draco's friends".

'Fuck' Ron let his head droop, smacking his forehead on the table with a resounding thud.

Narcissa's POV

2 hours later

"I don't see why Ron isn't allowed to choose what clothes he is allowed to wear?"

Narcissa sighed and turned to Arthur, "Look, as soon as we have burned whatever garments he brings with him and replaced them with a more fitting wardrobe, that rule will be forgotten".

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Ronald exclaimed.

All three Malfoys looked at Ronald's clothes with unreadable expressions.

"I think we've reached the end of the list", Dumbledore said, standing and rubbing the bridge of his nose, "How about we leave the discussions and just tackle the remaining problems when they arise? I personally am in great need of tea and maybe a biscuit".

There was unanimous approval and everybody stood and stretched.

Ever since the meeting had become boring, which admittedly was almost immediately after it had begun, Narcissa had been dying to look around her Aunt's old house. It had been almost 15 years since she had last visited and she was curious to see what effects her aunts' madness, and her cousins rebelliousness, had had.

She strolled out of the door and headed upstairs, politely excusing herself to 'go and use the powder room'.

She only stopped climbing at the very top landing, and looked around, examining the doors. The first which caught her eye was her Uncle Orion's.

Throughout most of their marriage, her aunt and uncle had chosen not engage with one another. They had always both seemed very satisfied with this arrangement and kept themselves to themselves. How they had managed to produce one heir let alone two, when they went days without even looking at each other was a bit of a mystery.

She pushed the door open and surveyed the room.

It was about the same as she remembered and reflected his personality perfectly; simple but imposing.

The furnishings were all made from smooth dark wood, inlaid with silver serpents, which still gleamed in the dim light despite the heavy layer of dust which coated every surface.

On the far side of the room was a large writing desk, its surface covered in rolls of parchment and official looking letters.

She didn't bother going over and examining the documents; Orion Black had been a notoriously secretive man and she doubted she would find anything of interest or value simply lying around.

She turned on her heel and headed across the landing to the door opposite, labeled 'Study'.

The room, once again, was covered in dust. Almost all the walls were covered with cabinets and draws. She tried to open a few of them, but all appeared to be locked.

Having no great knowledge of unlocking spells, she spun on her heel and headed out of the room and down to the next landing.

Her Aunt's rooms were much the same, excluding what looked like a giant nest on the bed and rodent skeletons everywhere. She decided to continue downwards until she reached a rather unusual door.

It was undeniably Sirius's room. The ornate door was plastered with pictures of topless muggles (the pictures were motionless) many of which were women, but there were a couple of males scattered around. The door seemed to buzz slightly with magic, which indicated that her cousin had cast multiple sticking charms to prevent her aunt from removing the magazine pages.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside. It would appear that her Aunt hadn't even bothered entering his room after Sirius had run away. For all intents and purposes she was standing in the room of a teenage boy. Quidditch posters littered the walls and there was that musty 'Boy smell' that just hung around.

'Draco's room doesn't smell like that, should I be worried or relieved?'

She spotted a framed photo on the window sill, it contained four boys all smiling and waving at the camera. It must have been taken around fifth year, James Potter had his glasses askew and was grinning like an idiot; it was true how similar he and his son looked. Next to him was Remus, clutching a book to his chest 'he was always bookish'. Sirius was in the centre of the group, waving his arms like mad and foaming at the mouth (obviously a trick). The figure on the far right had been scribbled out but there was only one person it could be, Pettigrew.

Narcissa had never particularly liked Gryffindors however she had admired their loyalty, it was a very Black value, and you protected your own. Pettigrew was … worthless. He wasn't even worth hating, he was just pathetic, and she had made sure he new it. She smiled as she remembered the tricks she had played; telling him Voldemort wanted to speak to him and watching the rat run off and humiliate himself; buying a litter of cats and setting them loose whenever he was in animal form; only serving him cheese at meals; talking down to him; looking down on him; and that time she 'accidently' pushed him down the stairs.

'Good times'.

However what was done, was done, Sirius was dead, Potter was dead, and Remus was left with Harry and his grief. She felt a rush of pity for the werewolf, it couldn't be easy.

'Resolution! Be nice to the werewolf'.

**Well that's it so far. I'm only half a chapter ahead at present so it will be a while before the next update.**

**I also didn't really spell check or edit this chapter as much, so if you spot any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors ….. keep them to yourself … please.**


	8. Chapter8 Countdown

**Update! Well I have finished my dissertation; however it killed me inside and the thought of writing anything else made me feel ill. Other than that I have just been plain lazy.**

**However that all changed when I got a review from** **True Blackout, it made my day and reminded me I was writing a story. Of course they also pointed out a spelling mistake … thanks and heads up I didn't spell check this chapter either, so be prepared for minor errors.**

**The Lion and Serpent**

**By**

**TheBigEmeraldPeacock**

**Chapter 8 – Countdown **

Molly's POV

The tension in the kitchen was palpable. Lucius seemed to be trying and failing to catch Draco's eye, Draco was attempting to hold a very strained conversation with Arthur and pointedly avoiding looking anywhere near his father, Ron was staring into his mug of tea intently eavesdropping on Arthur and Draco's talking, Molly was slowly shredding a tissue into confetti, and Dumbledore was dipping a biscuit repeatedly into his tea and sucking it with a overly content expression on his face.

Molly finally ran out of tissue to shred and decided to try and break the palpably awkward aura which seemed to have descended.

"I think we need to discuss wedding arrangements", she exclaimed slightly too loud considering the kitchen wasn't huge.

Both Ron and Draco managed to look even more uncomfortable than before, however Lucius seemed to be glad of the distraction.

"Being dead I can't actually attend the ceremony in person, however I think it should be sooner rather than later".

Dumbledore nodded, "That's probably for the best and as long as you take polyjuice potion I see no problem in you attending Lucius".

Lucius nodded and looked a great deal happier. "Alright then how about August 1st? It will give Ronald and Draco time to get used to things before returning to school and Narcissa can get into her tuition".

Neither Ron nor Draco seemed to be capable of giving an answer so Molly took the lead and nodded. "That seems fine. Where will we be holding the wedding?"

"Traditionally family weddings are held in the chapel in Malfoy Manor, and there are numerous ballrooms we can use for the reception", Lucius answered.

"Reception?" Ron rasped, looking up horrified.

Lucius looked at him with an expression almost like pity, "This may not be an entirely happy occasion, but we might as well do it right. Anyway even funerals have a meal usually. Also the last time I checked there were a lot of Weasleys, and I'm assuming they will want to attend on mass?" He directed his last question at Molly.

"Yes, they will and it's kind of you to welcome them, thank you", Molly answered smiling.

"My pleasure", Lucius nodded. Things seemed to be almost pleasant it was sort of odd given the people in the room.

The muffled sound of Mrs. Black's portrait could suddenly be heard from upstairs, several moments later a rather shell shocked Narcissa entered the kitchen and leant against her husband, seemingly in need of support.

"Where were you and what happened?" Lucius asked looking down at her.

Taking his mug and downing the remainder of his tea, she began, "Well I went off to explore the house because the last time I was here was when I was a child and I wanted to see what had changed. Generally the rooms were similar and boring as always; Sirius's room looks like he ran away yesterday which is creepy because he lived here for the whole of last year; Regulus's room was also just like he left it and a that's a bit depressing when you think about it. So I got bored and decided to come back down stairs, when suddenly the curtain flew open and Aunt Walburga's portrait began shouting at me. She eventually decided to look at who she was screaming at realized it was me, she said I should help myself to anything in the house I wanted because the 'filth' will get it other wise." She sighed and sat down, "She seemed exactly like I remembered her; still it seemed stupid to waste the opportunity so I'm taking the obsidian table which had the wax flowers on in the drawing room".

"You can't take anything this house belongs to Harry!" Ron exclaimed.

"He can consider it his wedding present to the 'happy' couple then", she snapped, looking irritated, "Have you given him the ring yet?" she asked looking at Draco.

"No" he replied mutinously.

"Well?" she demanded.

Draco strode over to Ron, shoving his hand into his pocket and slapping a box into the confused boy's hands.

"That's not the most romantic proposal I have ever seen", Lucius said dryly earning a glare from Draco.

"I have to wear a ring?" Ron asked, dumbstruck.

"That is the convention dear", Molly said comfortingly, "Draco has to wear one too, don't you?" She looked at Draco who nodded grumpily.

Another awkward silence descended over the room.

"Well, I think that's enough for one day" Dumbledore stated to the room. "Seeing as the wedding will be taking place in a week, I don't see the point in Ronald moving into Malfoy Manor until then. Narcissa, I assume you will have no problems putting together a wedding in that time?"

Narcissa nodded, looking mildly excited

"Well then, see you on the happy day" and he dissaperated.

Ron's POV

The following days had flown by and Ron now found himself waking up with only one night left. He looked around his room groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes and wondering why he was feeling so anxious. Then he remembered.

Ron's list of anxieties-

He was getting married tomorrow, to Draco Malfoy, bitchy slytherin prince and massive douche.

His soon to be mother-in-law had been sending constant updates on the wedding and it sounded like she was planning the social occasion of the decade. Only last night it had emerged the new minister of magic would be in attendance.

Tomorrow there would be a wedding rehearsal at the infamous Malfoy Manor, where he would be drilled on what to do during the ceremony, as well as being introduced to the extended Malfoy family, 'Deep Joy'.

And last and most alarming, his best friends would be arriving some time in the next hour.

Ron had written to both Harry and Hermione almost immediately after he had found out, once the shock had worn off.

Although his knowledge of pureblood marriage was rudimentary, it was unlikely either of his friends knew anything at all. Hermione, he supposed, may have picked up the basics from books; however pureblood bonding magic was unique to each family and was only passed down through generations by word of mouth. He had therefore tried to impress in his letters that there was pretty much zero chance of getting out of the situation. From past experience it was better to just skip the endless hours of impossible plans and schemes in an attempt to find a way out, and just accept that it was going to happen.

Hermione had replied the same day, her reply was a little frosty at first seeing as Ron had basically told her reading books would be useless. However as the letter went on she had obviously become excited at the chance to learn pureblood knowledge which she would have not been privy to in any other circumstance. By the end of the letter her handwriting was practically bouncing at the impending 'hands-on' lesson which his marriage would apparently be; she had barely spared two sentences to express her sympathy that it was Malfoy he was marrying and the letter ended with a very long list of questions she was dying to ask at the rehearsal.

Although her response had been a little self involved, it had cheered him up immensely that she had not shunned him or written a massive rant about 'stupid purebloods'.

Ron chuckled to himself as he got dressed. The majority of purebloods at Hogwarts (mainly Slytherins) had always regarded Hermione with distain, even disgust. However their behavior had not effected Hermione in the slightest; if anything she had become more and more fascinated with pureblood culture, reveling in knowledge which was often kept from 'mudbloods'.

No the main anxiety surrounding his friends imminent arrival was due to Harry. The letter he had sent remained un-replied, and left with no idea of his best friends reaction to his marriage, he began assuming the worst.

In a series of vivid, and rather over-dramatic, daydreams Ron had imagined Harry destroying his Aunt and Uncle's house in a fit of Malfoy-induced rage; or telling Ron that they could no longer be friends because he was a filthy snake; or just pretending he didn't exist.

Although Sirius had only died a few months ago, he supposed his marriage wasn't ever going to lift Harry's spirits. It certainly didn't lift his.

However he would soon know either way. Heaving a heavy sigh he walked down stairs, following the smell of bacon. The only occupant of the kitchen when he entered was his mother, who was fussing over several hissing pans while trying to do her hair in tandem. She turned, hearing him sitting at the table and beamed, "Ron you're up early, I suppose Harry and Hermione will be here soon though, do you think they have eaten breakfast yet?"

"Umm", Ron didn't quite know if he was supposed to answer or not.

He was spared from further conversation by the sudden entrance of a stern looking eagle owl, which swooped down and perched on the tap, holding out a message. The owl was no stranger after the past week, and so he was unsurprised by his mothers' exclamation, "Oh it's from Narcissa!"

Ron stared gloomily at the table, it was shocking how 'chummy' his mother and Lady Malfoy had become since this whole fiasco started, however he supposed they were both trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

While she perused the letter, Ron tried to distract himself. He grabbed an apple and headed for the garden. Despite it being mid-summer there was a cool breeze in the orchard and he stuck his hands into the pockets of the cardigan, hunching his shoulders.

However he soon realized that there was something already in his left pocket, and wondering what it could be, he pulled out the box Malfoy had given him at the pre-nuptial negotiation. It was the ring, his wedding ring.

He had yet to open the small box. In a sense it symbolized a complete finality to the whole situation, once he saw the ring, the one he would have to wear for the rest of his married life that life would have started. He could ignore the surname, it was just a word, but this was an object, physical proof.

In this state of mind he had continually taken out the box, stared at it intently, but still could not bring himself to open it. However this morning felt different, he was running out of time anyway, there seemed no point to carry on ignoring it.

He drew in a breath, closed his eyes, and opened the box. He heard the lid click and looked down.

It wasn't as bad as he had expected, he had been worried that Malfoy would purposely give him an embarrassingly girly ring. What he found in the box was a ring shaped like a lion eating its own tail. It looked old, but the gold from which it was made still glowed and shimmered in the morning light and combined with the intricate carved details it almost looked like the lions fur was swaying in a light breeze. The lions eyes were what he likely assumed were rubies, dark blood red and yet they sparked like sunlight on seawater. All in all, the ring was in fact beautiful, quite surprising considering who gave it him.

He plucked it out of the box and slid it onto his finger. It was quite a large ring, but Ron found the weight of it satisfying. At the very least he would realize if he lost it, which was quite likely.

He slipped the ring off and replaced it back into the box. He glanced down at it one last time, gave a heavy sigh, and shut the box. He had finally reached that final stage of grief, acceptance.

'I'm just going to have to make the best of it I guess' he mused to himself morosely.

Standing, he took a bite out of his forgotten apple, and headed back to the house.

Molly's POV-

Molly poured over the letter, only vaguely registering that Ron had left. Although Arthur was a pureblood, the Weasleys as a family had never been that bothered about pureblood culture. This had never bothered her in the slightest, however reading Narcissa's letters about the wedding arrangements was making her nostalgic for her own youth. As the youngest daughter of the Prewett family head, she had had a relatively similar upbringing to any of the Blacks or Malfoys, and although she considered a lot of it to be completely bullshit and arrogance, there were aspects which she had enjoyed.

No; all in all Ron would benefit from a bit more exposure to higher breeding.

Everything seemed to be organized, guest lists were confirmed, seating plans arranged, all that was left was to get Harry and Hermione to the Burrow. Hermione was taking the floo from the Leaky Caldron and was going to be arriving any second; Harry however was being collected by Dumbledore and brought directly here by side-along apparition.

Molly was aware that Ron was worried about Harry's reaction. She would have written to him herself; however considering he hadn't replied to his best friend, it seemed unlikely she would have more success.

Although it was for his protection, Molly still thought it was a terrible idea to send Harry back to his muggle relatives, especially so soon after Sirius had died. But Dumbledore had insisted, and Harry had seemed too shell-shocked to disagree. However it was obvious that he wasn't coping well with everything that was happening. She just hoped the news of Ron's wedding hadn't upset him too much. 'The poor boy has enough on his plate' she sighed to herself.

Figuring she would just have to deal with whatever issues Harry's arrival brought with it, Molly got back to her nostalgic day dreaming about her own youth.

_Flash Back- _

"_MOLLY I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU; MARRY ME!"_

_She turned, hearing the proposal screamed at her, and stared at the person who stood behind her in the queue._

"_I'm sorry? What are you talking about? I only met you this morning. It's Arthur isn't it?"_

_He beamed at the knowledge that she remembered his name, "I may have only known you for a day, but I know I can't live without you!"_

_She sighed; this wasn't what she needed at such a stressful moment. "Why don't you wait until after we have been sorted and if we are in the same house you will see me all the time?"_

_The boy looked unsure for a moment then beamed, "Yeah that's a brilliant; you're so smart Molly". _

_The strange red headed boy stared at her with an enraptured expression, however she turned back to watch the other first years get sorted, trying to ignore the annoying twit._

_Ten minutes later she was sat at the Gryffindor table, when the boy again tried to engage her in conversation as he had been trying repeatedly for the last few minutes. _

"_Will you marry me now?"_

"_NO YOU OAF!"_

"_Why not?"_

"_I'm 11 years old! I don't want to marry anyone! Stop asking!"_

"_But if I stop you won't eventually say yes"_

"_ENOUGH!" She was not going to spend her school career constantly avoiding this idiot. "If you don't ask me to marry you for the next 7 years then I will say yes when that time comes". This was an 11 year old boy; he would forget her in a month, let alone seven years._

_He seemed to be seriously considering her offer though, and eventually he stuck out his hand, "Fine let's shake on it"._

_She stared at his hand confused._

"_It's a muggle thing", he said blushing._

_She grasped his hand and shook; secretly hoping they would never speak again._

_7 Years Later-_

_Molly Prewett strolled down a deserted hallway heading in the general direction of Gryffindor Tower. She felt slightly down, considering she had just watched her last sorting at Hogwarts. She had finally reached seventh year; and although she was glad to be nearing the end of her education, she knew she would miss the school when the time came to leave. _

_She turned a corner and spotted Arthur Weasley arguing with the long haired Slytherin prefect, whose name may have been Malloy '… or was it Malhoy?'_

"_Malfoy will you just do what I tell you and stop bitching about it!"_

'_Wow Arthur Weasley angry, that's a first' Molly thought, stopping to watch the altercation. _

_Despite being in the same house for 7 years, she couldn't say she knew Arthur all that well. He was fairly quiet, not in a shy way, but he didn't waste words. Of course he wouldn't let anyone else talk in muggle studies; he could go for hours when it came to that subject. He had grown up quite lanky and tall, but it suited him, she supposed he could be described as handsome. _

'… _probably cute actually' she mused, as she watched him yell._

_The blond seemed to eventually give in, and flicking his silky hair, he stormed/pranced away. Arthur let out a heavy sigh and turned, spotting her at the other end of the corridor._

"_Molly!" he exclaimed, his annoyed expression replaced immediately with a big grin. _

"_Arthur …" she replied, disconcerted by his sudden mood change._

_He strode towards her, a purposeful expression on his face. _

"_So …" he said, stopping directly in front of her._

"_So …" she replied, craning her neck to look him in the eye, and sorely tempted to take a step back._

"_7 years" he said conspiratorially, a slight grin pulling at the edges of his smile._

"_Indeed …" she had no idea what he was getting at but it seemed rude not to humor him, "the time has flown by, hasn't it?"_

"_Really?" he looked surprised, "For me it's been years of thinly veiled self restraint; the days couldn't pass fast enough!"_

"_You mean you didn't enjoy it?" she had loved her education at Hogwarts; she couldn't understand why it would be any different for Arthur._

"_Enjoy it? Why would I enjoy not being with the one I love?" he looked shocked and a little hurt._

"_Oh!" she exclaimed, suddenly realizing what he must mean, "I didn't realize you had a girlfriend outside Hogwarts. Which school does she go to? Durmstrang? Ooo or is it that French one? What was the name of that place?" She knew she was babbling, but she had always found foreign schools fascinating. Still she supposed she should be sympathetic towards Arthur; after all, his girlfriend was hundreds of miles away. "Awww that must be really hard for you" she said, pulling him into a hug, "What's she like? No! You should start by telling me her name; Europeans have such lovely names"._

_She looked up beaming, but her smile faltered at the devastated expression on his face. _

"_Whats wrong?" she asked confused. And then it hit her, "OH GOD SHE'S DEAD ISN'T SHE! OH ARTHUR I'M SO SORRY, IF I HAD KNOWN I WOULDN'T HAVE DREAMED OF ASKING ALL THOSE QUESTIONS. OH I'M SUCH AN IDIOT". She began sobbing hysterically, imagining how heart-breaking it must be being asked about your dead loved one by some stupid bimbo._

"_Molly, it's you"_

"_I KNOW IT WAS ME, I'M SO SORRY I ASKED ABOUT YOUR DEAD GIRLFRIEND I DIDN'T KNOW!"_

"_No Molly it's you" Arthur said with more force._

_Her sobs began to subside as she became more confused. "Me what?"_

"_The person I've been in love with, but couldn't be with until now", he smiled and gently brushed a tear off her cheek._

_Molly was bewildered and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Why couldn't you be with me?"_

_Arthur looked equally confused, "Because you told me to! You mean you don't remember?"_

"_I think I would remember that Arthur Weasley" she muttered irritatedly and secretly terrified, she did have a habit of forgetting stuff like this._

"_First year? The sorting ceremony? Ring any bells?" he asked looking nervous._

"_No I …" she cast her mind back, trying to relive her sorting. And then she remembered, "OH GOD, YOU'RE THAT WEIRD KID! The one that wouldn't stop proposing, and so I said … I said …" _

"_7 years" Arthur grinned, rocking on the balls of his feet._

"_You … you actually remembered?" she stuttered, fear rising from the pit of her stomach._

"_Of course I remembered. I knew you were the love of my life the second I set eyes on you", he took her hand in his, and slowly sank down onto one knee._

_And the fear was gone._

_End flashback-_

"Mum?"

"What!" she spun around startled and came face to face with her youngest son.

"You were kinda zoning out on me there, you looked a bit creepy" he grinned.

… Arthur's grin.

She chuckled and pulled him into a tight embrace to hide the tears in her eyes.

"You know, when I first met your father I thought he was an oaf."

"What changed?" Ron asked, muffled by her shoulder.

"I realized how much I needed an oaf" 

**End of chapter. I got to say, I was getting pretty emotional towards the end myself. My dad is an oaf and my mum is quite dense, it's like they cancel each other out. **

**Keep reviewing! This chapter would not be here without True Blackout's review, the next chapter could be a result of you! It'll be almost like you wrote the chapter yourself!**


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